Bellerophon
by melora30
Summary: As Sam and Pete take their relationship to the next step, Jack and Sam must embark on mission to uncover a threat to the SGC. SJ, SP. Spoilers for Seasons 7 and 8. Now Complete.
1. Prologue

Bellerophon

by Melora

Rating: T (for some mild violence, language, and sexual situations)

Pairing: Sam/Jack; Sam/Pete

Category: Mystery, Angst, Romance

Spoilers: Season 7 – Chimera, Heroes, Resurrection; Season 8 – New Order, Affinity, Endgame, Gemini, Prometheus Unbound, and Full Alert.

Set: Prologue - before Season 8's Affinity; Chapters 1-5 and 8-15 – after Season 8's Endgame; Chapters 6-7 - after Season 7's Resurrection; and the last few chapters set around Season 8's Full Alert. It jumps around a bit, but I will try to keep it from getting too confusing.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended. Created for entertainment, not monetary, purposes.

Summary: As Sam and Pete take their relationship to the next step, Jack and Sam must embark on mission to uncover a threat to the SGC.

Author's Notes: This is my AU idea on how to rectify what happened in Chimera – hence the title. Bellerophon was the figure from ancient Greek mythology who slew the Chimera.

* * *

**Bellerophon**

**by Melora**

_Prologue_

It was balmy, late summer afternoon in Colorado Springs. The park was filled with children running about, yelling and laughing with their friends, while their mothers watched from a safe distance. The children and mothers were too absorbed in their busy lives to notice a man in khakis and a light blue cotton shirt walking across the park towards a picnic table hidden in the shade of a group of trees. He inconspicuously sat down and waited by himself, contentedly watching the children play.

After a couple of minutes, another man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses mysteriously appeared and took the seat opposite him.

"Detective Shanahan...it's been a while," the man in the suit announced.

"Yeah, well...things have been slow lately. The SGC has been out of commission and only returned to active status a couple of weeks ago."

"So we've been told. I cannot tell you how disappointed my superiors were to hear that O'Neill had been given command. They were hoping he would remain permanently in stasis."

Pete shrugged nonchalantly. "Not really much of a surprise to me. But then again, I've gotten to know more about SG-1 over the past few months. His teammates would have done practically anything to save him. And as for making him a general – it was bound to happen sometime." Pete stared pointedly at the other man. "Wanna tell me why I'm here?"

A sly smile appeared on the man's face. "We recently learned that Teal'c will be moving out of Cheyenne Mountain soon."

Pete nodded. "Yeah...I'm going to his apartment warming party later this week."

"Excellent," the man replied. "You will of course use the opportunity to gather all the information that you can."

"Of course," Pete repeated.

"Our employers would like you to do something else."

"And what might that be?" Pete inquired.

"The information you provided on the capture of Osiris was invaluable. Because of you, we now know that Area 51 has a Goa'uld hand device equipped with Asgard beam technology. We also know that there is a Goa'uld ship cloaked in Earth's orbit. Both fit right into our current plans." He paused briefly and looked casually off into the distance before continuing, "The Trust feels that your relationship with Colonel Carter has been a highly profitable one, but it could be even more beneficial if you took the relationship to the next level."

Pete seemed neither surprised, nor upset by this news. In fact, he remained completely composed during the man's speech as if he had been expecting these instructions for a long time.

He knew instinctively what the man was asking him to do. "You want me to ask her to marry me?"

"Precisely, Detective," the man replied before quietly rising and disappearing into the shadows.


	2. Band of Gold

**Chapter 1: Band of Gold**

* * *

_A Couple of Months Later (a couple of weeks after 'Endgame')_

It had been bound to happen. After all, she had been dating him for almost a year. Still, as he gazed at her hands resting on the briefing room table, he could hardly bring himself to believe it.

There on the third finger of her left hand was a simple gold band. He had been trying to pay attention to Daniel's briefing on M35-965, but he could not draw his thoughts away from Sam and what had obviously happened over SG-1's short vacation.

Noticing General Jack O'Neill's inattentiveness, Daniel suddenly stopped his presentation, turned to him and asked, "Jack, have you been listening to anything that I have said?"

Jack's gaze abruptly broke away from Sam's fingers and met the concerned eyes of Dr. Daniel Jackson. Appearing slightly annoyed he replied, "Yes Daniel. M35-965... Moon...Temple... No Inhabitants... One-day mission, etc., etc. It's all in your preliminary report…which I have read by the way."

The three others at the table looked up at him with surprise.

O'Neill looked at each of them with slight indignation. "What? It is my responsibility to make sure you all are not going to get into any trouble. I do read all of your reports contrary to popular belief." He then turned back to Daniel, "Do you want to proceed with your briefing, Dr. Jackson, or have you finished?"

Daniel, looking slightly bewildered at Jack's tone, tilted his head in thought for a moment before answering, "Actually, I'm done."

Jack then turned towards Sam. His demeanor immediately softened as his eyes met hers. "Colonel Carter, do you have anything to add to Dr. Jackson's report?"

Sam shook her head, "No sir. It looks like it will be a routine research mission. We've got it covered."

"Good. Then you have a go for your mission at 0800 tomorrow. Dismissed."

As they rose from the table, Daniel put his hand on Sam's shoulder, "Sam, is there anything you want to tell us?"

"No Daniel. As I said before, I think we covered everything."

Jack interrupted, "I think Daniel is trying to ask about something else…something in your personal life? By the way, that's a nice ring, Carter."

Sam looked down at her hand and then back up at Jack. Embarrassed, she smiled and mumbled, "Oh that. I wanted to tell you guys at a better time. I was going to invite you over after we got back from the mission to tell you."

Daniel smiled softly and replied, "Why don't you just tell us now?"

She smiled nervously at her friends and answered, "Okay. I got married this last weekend."

Daniel, Jack, and Teal'c stared at her – an expression of shock mirrored on each one of her colleagues' faces.

She began to ramble, "I know, I know. It was a spur of the moment thing. So before you all get mad at me for not inviting you, I didn't really even know about it myself until a few hours before."

This revelation did not erase the perplexed looks they wore on their faces.

She continued her explanation, "Okay, okay. The fiancé and I went to Las Vegas last week when we were on downtime. We just decided that if we had to set a date and plan a big ceremony, we would never end up finding the time. So we just decided to go ahead and do it."

There was a moment of silence as each of the men searched for something to say. Jack was the first to finally jump in and state, "Well... Congratulations, Carter. It's about time. I hope you will be very happy."

"Thank you, sir. I know I will be." She flashed him a brief smile.

Still standing there dumbfounded by the news, Daniel just shook his head in disbelief. He, too, finally made an effort to offer the necessary congratulations. "Yeah. Sorry about the reaction, Sam. It was just kind of a shock. But I'm really happy for you."

Teal'c appeared even more stoic than usual. "I add my best wishes for your happiness, Colonel Carter."

"Thanks guys. I still want you all to come over after the mission and we can talk about it some more."

Daniel, still shaking his head in disbelief, replied, "Sounds great."

Quickly changing the subject, Jack stepped in, "Well...you all better get prepared for your mission tomorrow. I will see you all bright and early in the morning."

He moved over to Sam and gently touched her arm. "Congrats again, Colonel. No one deserves to be happy more." With that he gathered her in his arms and gave her a firm but brief hug.

Daniel looked at Jack's rare display of affection with surprise. But more so, he was shocked at Jack's reaction to the news. Strangely, the general was taking it all very calmly – like it hadn't bothered him at all. In fact, Jack was taking the news better than either he or Teal'c apparently had. He knew that underneath it all, Jack was probably devastated that the woman he loved had just run off and eloped with another man and he marveled at his friend's ability to keep his feelings in check.

The group dispersed and Daniel quietly followed Sam to her lab, determined to get the whole story. He knew it could not be as simple as Sam suddenly deciding to get hitched to Pete Shanahan. She was hiding something, he could tell.

As Sam sat down at her worktable, Daniel blurted out, "So do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Sam smiled and shook her head, slightly amused at her friend's concern. "Nothing's going on, Daniel. I was just ready to move on and have a normal life outside of this mountain."

"I thought...I didn't realize that you were so serious about him."

"Well I have been engaged to the man for a couple of months now, Daniel. Getting engaged usually involves eventually getting married at some point," she laughingly replied and then turned her attention to the stack of papers in front of her.

Daniel's curiosity compelled him to ask, "Is he going to be there on Friday? You know, when we all get together at your place?"

"Pete?" she murmured, barely looking up from her work to see Daniel nod his head. She returned to scanning the reports in her hand. "No. He's in Denver and will be there until next week."

Daniel was now even more perplexed. "You mean he's not even going to move down here? He's going to stay in Denver and keep his job there?"

Again, Sam raised her head to look directly at Daniel. "Actually, he's transferring up here to the Colorado Springs P.D. in a month or so. He had a few cases in Denver that he needed to clear up first."

"So, you're not even living with each other?"

"Daniel, this is really none of your business."

"You're my friend, Sam. I care about you. I just think you might have rushed into this. After all, you haven't known Pete for that long."

Sam was beginning to get somewhat annoyed with her friend. She put aside the files she had been looking over to concentrate her full attention entirely on Daniel. She glared at him and responded, "I've known him long enough. Look Daniel, I have waited a very long time to have a home and a family of my own, and someone to share that with. I can't put it off any longer. I don't want to."

Trying to get Sam to see the error in her hasty actions, he continued, "What about the SGC? Saving the world? What's going to happen when you start having this family? Pete's probably going to want you around more to take care of the kids."

"I am not going to give up my career. He would never ask me to. What I do around here might have to change a bit in the future. That's all."

Daniel was still doubtful that Sam could truly be happy having a "normal" life with a police detective. After all, he was certain that there was someone else who truly possessed Sam's heart. "Are you sure about Pete? Is he really the one you want to have this grand future with?"

Sam spoke, her voice filled with both exasperation and determination, "Daniel, there is no one I would rather be with than my husband. I can't imagine my life or my future without him." And with that statement, the interrogation was over.

Daniel looked appropriately chastised. "Okay. That's all I needed to know. I just want you to be happy, Sam. If that means being with Pete, you have my full support. Just be sure to let me know if he ever does anything to hurt you and I'll get Teal'c on the case." Although the offer was made in jest, there was an underlying seriousness to it.

Sam chose to take it as a joke, laughing and then stating emphatically, "That will never be necessary. See you tomorrow, Daniel." As Daniel turned and walked out of her lab, Sam's saddened gaze followed him as he walked away.

TBC


	3. Happiness is a Thing Called Pete

**Chapter 2: Happiness is a Thing Called Pete **

* * *

As Sam drove home that evening, she contemplated the events of the day. Her best friends… her family, now knew something that she had hoped to keep from them - at least for a while longer. She had been careless in not removing her wedding band before the briefing. Then again, she had been running very late that morning. She never realized how difficult it could be to get up and go to work in the morning when you had something - no, make that someone - to keep you at home in bed. 

And come to think of it, she had not gotten nearly enough rest on her downtime. The rush trip to Vegas, followed by spending the rest of the weekend in bed, had been exhausting. It was no wonder she had been absent-minded about what she had been wearing on her hand.

Of course, she thought to herself, it could have been a sort of Freudian slip. Maybe in her subconscious she wanted to share her news with the people most dear to her. Maybe she wanted in a small way to share her utter happiness with them. That small gold band was just a miniscule reminder of what she felt for the man she had vowed to spend the rest of her life beside. She did not want to hide it, especially from the ones she loved. She pulled her Volvo up to the curb in front of her house and turned off the ignition.

She checked her mailbox as she opened the gate to go through. No mail. He must already be home, she thought to herself. She had to admit, it would be a nice change to have someone waiting for her in the evening – even if it would probably never be a regular occurrence since they both had hectic and erratic work schedules. She opened the door and shouted something she had never thought she would ever utter... "Honey, I'm home!"

"Hey, I'm in the kitchen. What took you so long?" a male voice echoed from down the hall.

Sam sauntered into the kitchen. She stood by the entrance with a bemused look on her face, observing her husband who was currently leaning over a steaming pot on the stove.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I had a report I had to finish before I left work. General O'Neill can be quite a stickler when it comes to getting reports in on time."

"Oh really?" he asked amusedly.

Sam walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and propped her chin on his shoulder to see what he was so busy doing. "You betcha. So what's for dinner, oh dearest husband of mine?"

He paused what he was doing to turn in her arms and face her. "Wait a minute. I thought I was the only husband you had. Where have you been hiding the other less dear ones?" he joked.

She scolded him with a playful slap to his shoulder, "Oh just be quiet and kiss me."

With that he raised one of his hands to cradle her face, then unexpectedly dipped her backwards and planted a lengthy and firm kiss on her lips. After what seemed to be an eternity, he removed his lips from hers and stood her now dizzy form back upright.

"Good enough, my dear?" he asked with a smug smile on his face before continuing, "By the way, in answer to your previous question, we are having grilled salmon, steamed veggies, green salad, and baked potatoes for dinner."

She had just managed to regain her composure, but at this news her eyebrows shot up in surprise, "What's the occasion?"

"I just wanted to show my new wife how much I appreciate being with her. Anyways, you have a mission tomorrow and who knows when we will be able to do this again."

Sam exclaimed, "How right you are. We will just have to make the most of tonight." With that, Sam leaned her head up to place a gentle kiss on her husband's lips. "Let me know when dinner is ready. I'm going to take a short nap on the couch."

A half-hour later, Sam was sleeping soundly on the couch in her living room. She let out a contented sigh as someone leaned over and whispered, "Wake up, sleepyhead. Dinner's ready."

Sam slowly opened her eyes and smiled. "I could really get used to this."

A guilty smile crossed his face. "I guess we didn't get enough sleep this weekend. We'll have to try to get some tonight. I can't have you going off on a mission not well rested."

"Sleep is nice. But I can think of a couple of other things that I prefer," Sam countered suggestively.

He looked at her smiling face, placed a brief kiss on her lips, and chastised, "Oh no. First we eat the dinner that I slaved over, then we'll talk."

"Talking, much like sleep, can be highly overrated," Sam argued. "How about we turn in after dinner. That will give us plenty of time for sleep, as well as other more enjoyable activities?" she offered as a compromise.

"I think that can be arranged. Come on, let's eat." He offered her a hand up and ushered her into the dining room.

As Sam sat at the table, with a delicious plate of food before her and the man she loved sitting across from her busily fixing his baked potato, she thought to herself, 'How did this happen? I have everything I have wanted for so long.' She frowned slightly as she warned herself, 'How long can it last?'

* * *

_AN: The title of this chapter is inspired by an old song called, "Happiness is a Thing Called Joe." I thought the lyrics were fitting._


	4. Ruins

**Chapter 3: Ruins**

* * *

_The following day_

The gate activated and the klaxons blared. General O'Neill rushed to the control room, wondering who was unexpectedly coming through. "It's an Unauthorized Gate Activation sir," Sgt. Harriman informed him, "Waiting for an IDC code... it's SG-1, sir."

Thinking out loud, O'Neill muttered, "They only left ten hours ago and they weren't due back until tomorrow morning." He turned to Davis and ordered, "Get a medical team to the Gate room." Harriman nodded and picked up the intercom phone, complying with the General's order. O'Neill rushed down to the Gate Room and waited impatiently for someone to step through the gate.

As he paced back and forth, suddenly a figure emerged from the event horizon. Daniel rushed down the metal ramp shouting, "We need a medical team now!" As he finished his words, Dr. Brightman along with a couple of nurses entered the room with a gurney.

O'Neill noticed that neither Carter, nor Teal'c, had followed Daniel through the gate. Daniel himself had a large cut on his forehead and was covered in dust. "What happened Daniel?" the General asked worriedly.

"There was an earthquake...the temple...it came down around us...Sam's buried...we need to get her out..." Daniel was obviously in a state of shock as he looked around the room frantically. He pushed away one of the nurses that was trying to see to his head injury, lashing out angrily, "Sam needs help now! Teal'c is trying to dig her out, but he needs help. Why are you all just standing there?"

O'Neill, at first looking distracted and nervous, moved to the phone on the wall. Quickly his composure returned and he took charge of the situation. "Get SG-3 geared up and down to the Gate Room for a rescue mission." He then turned to Dr. Brightman. "I need you and your team geared up and ready to go within fifteen minutes."

She nodded and replied, "Yes sir."

He faced Daniel and instructed, "Daniel, you go with the Doctor and brief her on the situation so she knows what she needs to bring." The Gate room quickly emptied, leaving the General standing there very alone and very worried.

Precisely fifteen minutes later, SG-3 and the medical team entered the wormhole behind Daniel to return to the moon. After a few hours of waiting for them to return, the General went down to the Gate room and began anxiously pacing around the room.

Suddenly, the gate activated, the code from SG-3 was received, and SG-3, Daniel, and Teal'c came through the gate. Following them was the medical team, carrying Sam on a stretcher. She was wearing a neck brace, her left arm was in a temporary cast, and there appeared to be a serious injury to her head. Her face and hair were plastered with a sandy layer of dust and dirt and her eyes were closed. She was clearly unconscious – but she was alive. The two men that had been carrying her gently placed her body on an awaiting gurney and quickly wheeled her out of the room to the infirmary, followed by a stoic Dr. Brightman.

O'Neill's eyes followed Carter's receding form until he could no longer see the gurney. He then turned to behold a somber looking group. "SG-3, go and get cleaned up and checked out in the infirmary. Daniel, Teal'c – briefing room now," he ordered.

When they finally reached the briefing room, all three men collapsed into chairs and stared at each other. O'Neill broke the silence, "Okay. Do either of you want to tell me what the hell happened out there?"

Daniel hesitantly began, "Jack, everything was normal. I was translating and photographing in the temple. Sam had collected soil and mineral samples and came into the temple to check on my progress. We talked for a couple of minutes. I told her I would be done within a couple of hours. All of the sudden, the room began to shake. The roof started caving in. Sam grabbed my arm and shoved me out the door just as the portico came down on her."

Teal'c interrupted, "It would appear that a large pillar shielded Colonel Carter's body from being completely crushed under the stone. It is probably why she survived. However, I believe that enough large pieces of the temple fell on her to gravely injure her."

O'Neill tried to remain calm after hearing this information, but both Daniel and Teal'c could sense an underlying anxiety in O'Neill's demeanor as he informed them, "We'll head down to the infirmary in a minute to talk to Dr. Brightman. Right now, I think we would only be in the way. We need to give the medical staff some space. Daniel, why don't you tell me what happened after the temple came down and Carter was buried?"

"Both Teal'c and I tried to start digging Sam out."

Teal'c stepped in to take over, "I informed Daniel Jackson that it would take more than the two of us to free Colonel Carter in time and that she would most likely need medical attention before being moved."

Daniel nodded and added, "That's when I ran back to the gate and came here for help."

"You did the right thing," O'Neill reassured them. "Why don't you both get cleaned up? Then you can go get checked out in the infirmary and we can see how Carter is doing. We should know something by then."

Daniel and Teal'c stood and slowly made their way to the locker room. O'Neill, in contrast, stormed quickly down to the infirmary as soon as they were out of sight. Rushing into the room, he practically ran into the figure of Dr. Brightman.

"Sir, I was just about to call up to your office to brief you."

"How's Colonel Carter doing?" he asked, trying to appear calm.

Dr. Brightman's face remained impassive. "She's being prepped for surgery. She is suffering from minor lacerations and contusions, internal bleeding, a couple of broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and compound fractures in the left humerus, radius, and ulna. She also has a rather severe head injury that could be problematic. We'll know more after we get a CT scan."

O'Neill, finally letting his stony façade drop, asked hesitantly, "She'll be alright, won't she?"

Dr. Brightman paused before continuing, "I can't say right now. I believe Dr. Warner will be able to stop the internal bleeding, and the fractures and broken ribs will heal with time. However, she has been bleeding for hours now and the loss of blood may have serious consequences. We'll know more after the surgery. Personally, I'm more concerned with the head trauma that she has suffered. I'd like to call in a neurologist from the Academy Hospital to consult. He will probably be able to tell us how serious the damage is and whether or not surgery will be necessary."

The General quickly ordered, "Do it." He turned to leave and then stopped in his tracks, quietly adding, "Thanks, doc... for getting her this far."

"It's my job, sir. I promise you, sir, my staff and I will do everything possible for Colonel Carter."

Coming around the corner to the infirmary, Daniel and Teal'c ran into the General. Daniel immediately noticed the worried look in Jack's eyes and offered a comforting, "Hey," before asking, "How's Sam?"

"They don't know how serious it is yet. It's pretty bad though," O'Neill answered.

"But she is going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Daniel," O'Neill snapped before softly repeating, "I don't know."

Daniel began to grow agitated. "She has to be, Jack. I'm the reason she's in there. She was hurt because she was trying to save my life."

Jack looked firmly at the archaeologist, "And she succeeded. That would make her very happy, Danny. Don't beat yourself up. You didn't do this to her – an earthquake did." Jack scrubbed his hands through his unruly hair. "I have to get back to my office. Will you guys stay here for awhile and let me know if there's any change?"

"Sure, Jack," Daniel answered.

"Indeed. We will stay," Teal'c reassured him.

As Jack turned to go, Daniel stopped him, "Wait a minute, Jack. Someone should call Pete Shanahan and let him know. He's her husband after all."

"I'll call him when I get to my office and let him know what's going on," Jack assured Daniel.

With that, Jack turned and stalked back to his office – he needed time alone to let what had happened sink in. He needed to be somewhere where he could freely think and feel without reproach.


	5. Discoveries

_AN: Paragraphs in italics indicate flashbacks.  
_

**Chapter 4: Discoveries**

* * *

As Daniel sat down outside the infirmary, his thoughts turned back to the events of the day. Bits and pieces of the conversations he had with Sam flashed through his head. With almost frightening realization, he noted that the words spoken between them earlier that day might very possibly be the last he shared with his best friend. He was extremely thankful that his last conversation with her had not been as contentious as the ones he shared with her the day before regarding her marriage to Pete. The conversation this afternoon in the temple had been his way of making amends to Sam. His eyes slowly drifted shut and his mind replayed what was said that day in the temple. 

_The sun blazed down through the windows of the temple, etching glowing patterns across the floor and walls. At the far end of the building, Daniel was sitting cross-legged on the floor, gently brushing off the wall in order to further reveal a fresco that had been hidden in layers of dirt. Walking into the temple, Sam was astounded at how much Daniel had accomplished in a few short hours. _

"_Wow, Daniel," she exclaimed, "This place is really amazing. You've been quite busy."_

_Daniel ceased brushing and turned to face her, a smile plastered on his face. "Yeah. It's like nothing we have ever found before on another planet. These frescoes are similar to those from ancient Rome. You know...like the ones found at Pompei and Herculaneum. But they're more than that – these pictures are actually a language. It seems that instead of writing about their beliefs and their history, the people who once lived here expressed everything through pictures. We'll have to do some more research to find out."_

"_Have you been able to find anything else out about them?" Sam queried._

_He shrugged, "Well, right now it is sort of like reading the different chapters of a book at random. But once I uncover all of the frescoes and video tape and photograph them, I should be able to piece something together."_

_Sam moved to stand behind him as he resumed his brushing. "That's great, Daniel. I'm almost done with collecting mineral and soil samples. I still need to get some water samples from the river near here, but I should be done in a couple of hours. You've been at this for hours and I need a break as well. How about some lunch?"_

_Daniel readily agreed, "Actually, I am getting a bit hungry. Thanks for reminding me."_

_They grabbed their packs and sat down against one of the walls. Pulling out a sandwich, Carter put it down and pushed the button on her radio. "Teal'c, come in."_

"_I am here, Colonel Carter."_

"_How are things looking out there?" she asked._

"_All is peaceful. There are no signs of any inhabitants, just as the MALP indicated. Neither are there any signs of undesired visitors," he reported._

"_Good. Daniel and I are breaking for lunch. Care to join us?"_

_Teal'c voice answered through the radio, "I will be there presently Colonel Carter, after I have checked the perimeter once more."_

_Daniel and Sam proceeded to quietly munch away on their sandwiches. It was obvious, however, that Daniel's head was still swimming with unanswered questions of a personal nature._

"_Sam? Mind if I ask you something?" he cautiously inquired._

_She faced him, a suspicious look in her eyes. "It depends. If you want to further question my recent decisions regarding my personal life…then no."_

_Daniel did not yield at this rejection. "I was just wondering how it came about. What led to your quickie Vegas wedding? I mean you always are so planned and prepared. You analyze every detail before acting usually."_

"_Are you trying to say that I lack spontaneity?" Sam joked._

"_No. Well, actually...You have to admit that this is the most spontaneous thing you have ever done."_

"_I don't know. I was quite the wild child as a teenager. Getting married, I'll admit was probably one of the most life-changing decisions that I have made. But somehow it doesn't seem all that impulsive or rash to me."_

_He persisted, "At least give me some details. Since I was unable to attend my best friend's wedding, due to the fact that I knew nothing about it, you can at least describe it to me."_

_Sam smiled brilliantly at him. She had been dying to share information about her happy day with someone. "Okay, okay. Enough with the guilt trip. We had a couple of weeks of downtime after the whole Gate getting stolen incident, so I decided that it would be fun to go camping. You know hiking, kayaking..."_

"_Sam, are you crazy? We go camping and hiking almost every week on missions. Why on earth would you want to spend your vacation doing the same thing?" Daniel asked incredulously._

"_I don't know. It just seems that sometimes we know other planets better than we know our own. I wanted to spend time getting to explore it and share it with someone. Anyways, back to my story. We decided to drive to Utah and see one of the National Parks out there. I decided on Zion, which also happened to be the furthest away. But it was so worth it. The cacti were blooming and there weren't too many other tourists. It was so peaceful and the scenery was just gorgeous. It really is more breathtaking than anything you can find on another planet."_

_Daniel interrupted, "So, you went to Zion. Why the detour to Vegas?"_

_Sam sighed in annoyance at Daniel's one-track mind. She then continued her story, "We had been camping out for a week and then one day we decided to hike through The Narrows. It is a long, narrow chasm at the entrance to the canyon that you can walk through. To cut a long story short, there we were walking and admiring how beautiful it was, when he turned to me and said, 'Sam, you know Vegas is only a couple of hours away from here. What do say we forget the rest of this whole camping thing and get married?'" _

_Daniel was silent for the first time and looked at her, impatiently waiting for her to continue. _

_Sam obliged him. "I was completely shocked, as you can imagine. At first I thought he was joking, and I laughed it off. But then he reached for my hand and said, 'Sam, I know it's not the most romantic way to get married but I am being completely serious when I say that I want to marry you... today... tomorrow at the latest. I want to spend the rest of my life beside you. I have for a very long time and I feel for the first time that it is a possibility - that you and I can do this and there is nothing standing in our way. Please, Sam. Don't make me...don't make us wait any longer. Marry me?'"_

_Daniel looked impressed. "Wow, who knew Pete could be such a romantic."_

_Sam nodded in agreement._ "_Well I just couldn't say no to that. Everything he said made me realize how right he was…how I keep putting my own feelings on hold for the good of the SGC and Earth. And it's not as if anyone ever asked me to do so. I have been making assumptions that I can't have a personal life and do my job effectively at the same time. Maybe it's just been an excuse. Maybe I've been afraid to let myself have a personal life, to reach out for the things I want and need."_

"_What are you so afraid of, Sam?" he asked sympathetically. _

_She looked slightly embarrassed for a moment. Her expression then turned to one of sorrow. "Afraid that when I finally get what I want so much that it will all be taken away from me. If I don't care about anybody in that way, if I don't invest the time and emotion in a relationship, then I will have nothing to lose."_

_Daniel smiled at her in understanding, "What's the old saying? It is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all?"_

_Her face lightened. "Exactly! I finally realized that. It was an epiphany. No one was standing in my way except myself."_

"_So, are you still afraid?"_

_She laughed slightly at this. "Terrified. But I've come to realize that even if it all ends today, I won't have any regrets. I have taken a chance on love for the first time in my life. And I won the ultimate prize. I am in love and I am completely happy. Not just content, Daniel – truly happy."_

_Daniel reached over and wrapped his arms around her. "God Sam. I wish I had known. I would have kept my big mouth shut yesterday. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for butting in like that. I also cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you have found that kind of love. And you're right. It will always be worth the risk you've taken. No matter what happens. Believe me, I know."_

_Sam smiled sympathetically at her friend, knowing that his thoughts centered on the beloved wife he had lost over three years before. _

"_Thanks Daniel. You know I wasn't mad or anything yesterday." She paused, "Okay, maybe I was a little perturbed at you. But I also know that you wouldn't have interfered if you didn't care a great deal about me."_

"_I always will, Sam. No matter what, I will always be your friend."_

Sam's words haunted Daniel as he tried unsuccessfully to sleep in the uncomfortable plastic chair outside of the infirmary. It seemed to him that Sam's premonitions had been right – she had just gained everything she had ever wanted and it was cruelly being taken away from her. Daniel opened his eyes and quietly reassured himself, "You've got to pull through, Sam. You of all people deserve a happy ending."


	6. Prayer

**Chapter 5: Prayer**

* * *

As Daniel sat outside the infirmary, contemplating the events of the day, General Jack O'Neill sat at his desk with his head between his hands. He had not yet called Detective Pete Shanahan. After all, there was really no need to. 

Slowly, one of his hands dropped from his face to reach for the handle of his top desk drawer. Searching quickly under a pile of papers, he pulled out the small object he had placed there earlier in the day, held it in his hand, and stared at it. Gently, he slipped the small gold object onto his finger. Rummaging some more in the drawer, he pulled out a small photograph and traced the images in it with his index finger.

Silently he began murmuring a prayer, "Please, God. She has to be all right. Please don't take her from me now. Not when we waited for so long. It's just not fair. We haven't had enough time...we need more time."

Jack laid the photograph down on his desk. It clearly showed two people in each other's arms, both smiling widely and laughing at each other. One of the figures was Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter dressed in a simple white cotton sundress. The other figure was none other than Brigadier General Jack O'Neill.

It seemed almost like a dream now that she was in surgery fighting for her life. As he picked up the photograph and slipped it into the pocket of his jacket, Jack reminisced about the past two weeks…the happiest two weeks he had had in a very long time. He had been so free, as if a burden had been lifted from him. He didn't have to watch what he said or did. He didn't have to conceal his feelings or pretend. He was just a man who loved a woman. And the astonishing thing was that she loved him too.

He couldn't believe the words that left his mouth as he turned to her that day in The Narrows. What possessed him to suggest Vegas? All he could figure out was that the breathtaking scenery, along with his utter joy at being with her, inspired him to let go of his fears and take the next step towards complete happiness.

Now as he sat worried and dejected in his office, he knew it was the best decision he had ever made. They may have been married for less than a month, but Jack realized that they had filled those few weeks with a lifetime of happiness and love. And he didn't want to lose that now.

They had rushed that Friday to Las Vegas from Zion National Park. Sam spent the morning looking for a suitable dress, as shorts and t-shirts would not do for a wedding. Jack made the arrangements for the wedding, bought a new suit, and got a room in a hotel. The wedding had been a very simple and quick affair, as neither he nor Sam were much for a lot of fuss. In fact, he couldn't even remember exactly what had been said during the ceremony. All he could remember was Sam's sparkling eyes and her joyous laughter as the ceremony drew to a close. She had been so beautiful and so happy. Hell, he had been unbelievably happy as well. And needless to say, the weekend honeymoon in their hotel suite was equally as unbelievable. It almost seemed like a dream to him now.

He continued to sit in his office, almost in a state of catatonic grief. A couple of hours passed, then a ringing phone startled him out of his reverie. "General O'Neill," he answered.

The voice of Dr. Brightman came over the line, "General, sir. I just thought you would like to know that Colonel Carter is out of surgery and is in stable condition for now."

Jack let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Sam had made it this far. "Thank you, doctor. Are you allowing any visitors?" he asked.

"I don't see any harm in it. Dr. Jackson and Teal'c have already been asking to see her. I was going to let them in one at a time."

O'Neill stopped her, "Actually, doctor, I would appreciate it if you let me see her first. I have a conference call in an hour, so I don't know when I will be able to come later on."

"It's all right with me, sir. I'll let you explain it to Dr. Jackson and Teal'c when you arrive."

Jack rushed as fast as he could down to the infirmary without appearing too suspicious. He noticed an anxious looking Daniel pacing outside.

"Hey, Daniel. Dr. Brightman just called me with the news. I hope you don't mind me going in first. I have a meeting in an hour and I want to see her."

Daniel appeared slightly disturbed by Jack's request until he caught the sorrow and anxiety in his friend's eyes – emotions his friend was trying and failing to conceal.

He sighed, "It's fine, Jack. Teal'c and I are probably just going to hang around here for the rest of the afternoon anyway. You go ahead in."

Jack entered the infirmary and walked to the only occupied bed. Sam lay unmoving on the bed, covered with IVs and tubes to help her breathe. Her left arm was strapped to her chest and covered in a plaster cast. The gash on her head had been cleaned and bandaged. Her hospital gown and the bandages could not cover all of the dark bruises and cuts scattered across the pale skin of her face and arms. Still, the monitors provided a comforting and steady beep to reassure all those around that she was indeed alive and stable. Jack sat down by her side and gathered her right hand in his own.

Dr. Brightman quietly approached the General as he sat mournfully by his former second in command. "General, I just wanted to give you a more detailed report of Colonel Carter's status."

He nodded for her to continue.

"The bones in her arm have been surgically realigned and a cast has been put on. It should be back to normal in a matter of weeks, a couple of months at the most. Dr. Warner was able to stop all of the internal bleeding. It seems Colonel Carter's spleen was gravely damaged and the doctor had to remove it, but he was able to get all of the bleeding under control."

"Why is she on a respirator?" he inquired.

"She was trapped under a lot of rubble for hours, General. All of the dust and debris that she breathed in led to what we call fulminant pulmonary edema. In other words, she has a lot of dust in her lungs and it is making it hard for her to breathe. We put her on respirator to help her. Don't worry… it's only temporary. Once her lung function returns to a safe level, we will remove it."

"That's good to know."

"General..." Dr. Brightman's tone was grave. "We also did a CT scan to learn more about her head injury. It clearly showed that she has a subacute subdural hematoma."

Jack looked at the doctor in frustration. He was in no mood for scientific jargon. "Just tell it to me straight, Doc. You can skip the fancy terminology."

Brightman nodded and began to explain using laymen's terms. "Basically, there is a layer of blood building up between the membranes in her brain. In many similar cases to this one, the blood is reabsorbed by the body and surgery is unnecessary. However, if the blood continues to accumulate, she will have to have a craniotomy to relieve the pressure on her brain…it's a surgical procedure where a hole is drilled into her skull to drain away the blood. Dr. Richards, the neurologist from the Academy Hospital will be by to see her this evening. He will be able to tell us if a craniotomy is necessary or not. I think if Dr. Richards provides us with a good prognosis, Colonel Carter has a fair chance of recovery."

"Only a fair chance?" he lamented.

"General, you must understand. Colonel Carter, by all things known, should not even be alive. It is a miracle she survived so long with the internal injuries she suffered. By the time we got to her, she was in hypovolemic shock due to blood loss. And with subdural hematomas... the risks for aneurysms and brain damage are great. In the long run, if she recovers, she may suffer from headaches, memory loss, attention difficulties, anxiety, and even seizures for months or years to come."

"You make it sound so hopeless."

Brightman smiled sympathetically at her commanding officer, "Being a doctor, all I know is that you should never get your hopes up. At the same time, you should never give up hope. She's made it this far, General. She only has a little farther to go and we all know what a fighter she is. I'll let you have some time alone with the Colonel now."

"Thanks again, doc," he replied as the doctor left him alone in the room with his wife. O'Neill gently lifted the hand he had been holding and placed a soft kiss on it. He then returned Sam's hand to the bed, keeping it lightly grasped in his own, and whispered, "Come back to me. Please, Sam.… just come back to me."


	7. The Truth About Pete

_AN: Just to clarify - the next two chapters are set a year before the events of chapters 1-5._

**Chapter 6: The Truth About Pete**

* * *

_A Year Earlier (Immediately after Season Seven's 'Resurrection')_

Colonel Jack O'Neill was forging his way down the highway out of Colorado Springs. He had been given a couple weeks off following his injury from a Jaffa staff weapon in the encounter that had left one of his best friends, who also had happened to be a damned fine doctor, dead.

After hearing from Carter that the investigation that the rest of SG-1 had participated in at the request of the NID had been wrapped up, he had decided to get out of town. He was now off to Minnesota for some much needed R and R. About thirty miles outside of town, the sound of a ringing cell phone filled the cab of his truck.

"O'Neill," he answered.

A wavering voice quietly replied, "Sir?"

"Carter, is that you? What is it? An emergency at the base? 'Cause I'm telling you, I am not coming back for at least another week unless Anubis himself has come through the gate."

"I'm not at the base, sir. I'm at home."

Her tone sounded strange…like she was frightened of something. Trying to assure himself that everything was all right, O'Neill said with false cheerfulness, "Good for you, Carter – actually taking time off during your downtime. Planning something with Pete for this week?"

"Actually, sir, that's what I'm calling about. I need you to come over...Please."

O'Neill was now very worried. It was uncharacteristic of Carter to sound so anxious and worried. Not to mention, it was completely unlike her to call him about something when they were both on downtime. She knew full well that he was heading up to his cabin, and he knew Carter would never bother him unless there had been some sort of emergency.

"What's going on Carter?"

"Sir, I can't discuss it over the phone," she stated firmly.

There was a moment of silence. "Carter? You still there?"

Her voice returned, almost in a whisper, "I think I just killed Pete."

O'Neill slammed on his brakes at this last whispered confession from Carter. As the shrieking of the brakes subsided, he pulled his truck over to the side of the highway. "Carter...Could you repeat that?"

Again she whispered, her voice beginning to tremble, "I just killed Pete, Colonel. Please, could you..."

He abruptly cut her off, "I'll be there in less than an hour."

"Sir, you should probably park down the road and come in the back door to avoid being seen," she warned. "I don't want you to get into any trouble on my account."

"Don't worry about it, Carter."

"No, sir. You don't understand. I think someone might be watching my house."

"Understood. Just hold tight, Carter. I'll be there soon."

When O'Neill arrived at Sam's house, he did as she requested. He parked at the end of the road and stealthily made his way to the back of her house. He approached the back door and knocked on it. When there was no answer, he tried the doorknob. It was unlocked and he quietly entered.

There in front of him, sitting on the floor, propped up against the kitchen island was Samantha Carter. She had clearly been sitting there like that for some time. A gun was dangling loosely in her right hand and her head was resting on her raised knees.

O'Neill cautiously approached her and called out, "Carter?"

She did not look up at him but remained complete still. He gingerly kneeled down in front of her and took the gun from her hand. As he removed the gun, she looked up at him as if she had finally been awoken from a dream – or more like a nightmare. Her face was wet with tears, her eyes surrounded by black smudges from her mascara. As O'Neill examined her face more closely, he noticed the beginnings of a bruise appearing on her left cheek.

"Okay, Carter. Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

She got up without saying a word, obviously still in shock, and led him out of the kitchen into the living room. There, lying face-up on the floor in a pool of blood was the body - and he was most definitely dead.

"What the hell happened, Carter?" Jack demanded.

Instead of answering her commanding officer, she went to a table and picked up a pad of paper. Written in Carter's clear handwriting was a message – "We need to talk. House might be bugged. Believe he was rogue NID. Let's go to the park across the street."

O'Neill took Sam's hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She then grabbed a jacket and they both went out the back door to walk to the park. She did not utter even one sound as they made their way, trying to avoid being seen by anyone by keeping to a wooded path that provided a back way to the park. Once they arrived, Sam guided Jack to a secluded bench hidden beneath some trees. It was only then that she spoke.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, sir. I didn't know who else to call," she sniffed.

Jack looked at her in bewilderment. "Carter, I don't know what's going on here, but I hate to tell you this... that guy laying dead in your house is not Pete Shanahan."

"I know," she replied as she got up and turned to face away from him. "He was and he wasn't."

"You've lost me here." His face scrunched up in confusion.

She turned back to face him, piercing him with her eyes. "Check out his watch." She handed the object to him.

He examined the object unceremoniously. It was a typical men's watch with all the bells and whistles. "What about it?" he returned it to her, still completely baffled.

Sam placed the watch on her wrist and pressed the button on the side. Suddenly, her image began to flicker and then gradually it transformed from that of Major Sam Carter into Detective Pete Shanahan. O'Neill jumped slightly in his seat at the shock of seeing his second-in-command become the very man whose existence he had come to resent in the last couple of months.

Carter, still appearing as 'Pete,' then began to explain what was happening. In Pete's voice she calmly stated, "I believe it's a modified mimic device – like the ones at Area 51. You know...the ones that the rogue NID used to frame you that time with the attempted assassination on Senator Kinsey."

She removed the watch, transforming back into her natural image. Jack questioned her, "I thought those devices had all been recovered and were placed in high security lockup."

"As far as I know, they are," she explained. "This is not one of them. It is a variation...an improvement if you will. The ones at Area 51 only last six minutes or so. This lasts more than twelve hours as far as I can figure and is disguised to look like an ordinary watch. It might even last longer than that..."

"So Pete was not Pete?" he tentatively asked.

Carter collapsed on the seat next to him in complete disillusionment. "Yeah," she replied, "I really have no idea if this imposter has been posing as him the entire time or if they did something to Pete and replaced him at some point."

"They?" he questioned.

"Come on, sir. This had to be an organized effort."

"NID?"

"More likely one of its rogue offshoots. Only they could have the knowledge to gain access to the research being done on the mimic devices. They also probably have scientists and engineers on their payroll that could adapt the technology to create this 'improved' device."

"But why? Why you? Why Pete?"

Sam sighed in exasperation. "I wish I knew, sir. The man said something about how he could have eventually gained a lot of information from me. I'm sorry I didn't get more information out of him before I killed him, sir."

It was then that O'Neill looked more closely at his second-in-command. As he turned to face her, he noticed the ring of purple marks around her neck for the first time - marks that had earlier been concealed in the shadows of her shirt collar.

"What did he do to you?" He raised his hand to gently caress the marks on her neck in concern.

"He tried to strangle me after I figured out he was an imposter." Sam continued warily, "I was finishing getting ready to go out to eat. Pete, or whoever he was, was sitting in the chair in my living room waiting. I came out of my room to ask him what time our reservations were for, and he just started flickering."

She paused for a moment to regain her composure before continuing, "I knew what was going on immediately. It was just like the time I killed the alien posing as you on the plane during the foothold situation. I confronted him and was about to run back to my room to get my gun...but he was too fast. He grabbed me from behind, turned me around and hit me. I tried to fight him off."

She smiled sorrowfully. "Actually, I was doing quite well until he started strangling me. I could barely hear what he was saying. It sounded like 'I'm sorry about this, but we can't have people at the SGC finding out about our little operation. It's a shame, really. We had plans for you.' I was beginning to lose consciousness when I saw the gun in his holster. I instinctively grabbed it and shot him. I didn't even realize what I was doing."

During her explanation, Jack's hand had moved from her neck to rest gently on her shoulder. His touch offered support and comfort to this woman that he cared for so much...a woman who had almost just been killed. "You did good. Your instinct for self-preservation kicked in. Looks like he nearly succeeded in killing you. Don't feel guilty, Carter. Just remember, he would have killed you." He looked at her worriedly, "We really need to get you to the infirmary."

She shook her head, trying to convince him that she was all right. "I'm fine, sir, really."

O'Neill looked in her eyes with a disbelieving expression on his face. He then took her arm to guide her up from the bench, determined to make sure her injuries were seen to.

She delicately snatched her arm away and declared, "I don't think you understand, sir. I am probably not the only target. If they can replicate the appearance of anyone, they might have imposters stationed in the SGC itself. How do we know whom to trust? How do we know how far this goes? We need to do something now, sir."

Just then, Sam's expression changed from one of determination to one of dread. "Oh God. What am I going to do?"

"You mean with the dead body in your living room?" Jack asked matter-of-factly. She nodded anxiously.

He shrugged and replied, "Don't worry about it. I know some people who can go in and clean it up discreetly. Right now, I think it would be best if we kept this under the radar. Listen, Carter...if we are ever going to get to the bottom of this, we need to pretend that all of this never happened. We need to just go on as normal."

She laughed morosely. "How do we do that, sir? I mean they might already know that their agent is dead."

"We can check to see if your house is bugged. If it isn't, then they probably don't know about it yet and maybe we can come up with a plan to trap them."

"I don't understand. How can we pretend this just didn't happen?" Sam asked in frustration. "Even if they don't have a bug in my house, they will know as soon as their phony Pete doesn't report in."

O'Neill smirked grimly, "Well, I have a plan. Someone needs to use the mimic device to continue pretending to be Pete. That way we can use their own tactics against them…infiltrate their organization and hopefully bring it down for good this time."

"Our own phony Pete, huh?" A thoughtful expression dawned on Carter's face, as she contemplated what would be necessary to undertake such a plan. "Whoever it is can get information on the group running the operation and find out if there are other spies at the SGC and who they are. It sounds risky, sir."

"Aww Carter, you're taking all the fun out of this. Besides, we really don't have much of a choice. If we reveal what we know now, they get away and will just try again. It's time we stop them once and for all."

Sam nodded determinately. "Okay, sir. Who do you know that we can trust to play Pete?" Jack looked at her sheepishly and grinned. Catching the meaning behind his expression, she began shaking her head warily, "Oh no, sir. Wouldn't that be going totally against the regulations? I can't be dating you."

Jack shrugged. "It wouldn't really be dating, Carter. See it as a mission...one where we have to pretend to be madly in love with each other."

"I don't know if I am comfortable with this," Sam replied honestly.

"Look...I don't trust anyone else at the SGC right now who is experienced with this kind of operation. Who knows who is really 'real'? For all we know, Daniel and Teal'c are not really themselves even."

Sam's eyes narrowed as she questioned suspiciously, "Then how do I know if you are really Colonel O'Neill?"

Jack had his usual lopsided grin on his face as he answered, "Because Carter, you know me better than anyone. Come here..." He opened his arms to her and enveloped her in his comforting embrace. "It's going to be okay, Carter. We're going to get these guys and they won't be able to hurt you ever again." As a second thought he added, "It's also the only way we will find out the truth about Pete."

They remained like that for a minute and then she reluctantly pulled away from him. He laid his hands comfortingly on her shoulders and informed her, "When we get back to your house, we need to clean the body up as much as possible and then leave for a few hours to allow the clean-up team time to get rid of the evidence. What were you and Pete planning on doing together tonight?"

"We were going out to eat. There was this fancy Italian place that Pete wanted to go to. He had reservations for 1900 hours."

"Okay. So that's what we will do. Why don't you head back to your place and change for dinner? I'll meet you there in few minutes, after I call a team in to take care of everything while we're gone." She nodded dutifully and took off towards her home.

O'Neill entered Sam's house a few minutes later and immediately went searching through the pockets of the dead man's coat and pants. He found only car keys, a cell phone, and a wallet, all of which he quickly pocketed. Sam, who had silently entered the room while he had been rummaging through the man's pockets, handed him the man's gun and watch. She was now dressed in a high-neck black sweater, her objective being to hide the bruises on her arms and neck, and long gray wool skirt. She had also heavily reapplied her makeup to cover the bruise on her face.

Jack put on the watch she had handed him, pushed the button on its side, and immediately transformed into Pete. Sam looked at him, uneasy at seeing the image of the man who had just tried to kill her an hour before standing in front of her. She plastered on a stilted smile and asked nervously, unsure of whom might be listening, "So, Pete...where are we going tonight?"

Jack, now looking and sounding exactly like Pete Shanahan, replied, "I have reservations at that Italian place I was telling you about. Actually... they're for 7:00, so we better get moving." He opened the door and then turned back towards her to add, "You look beautiful, by the way."

Sam blushed slightly at the compliment, realizing from the look in his eyes that it was not just part of the act, and smiled. "Thanks, Pete. You look great too. And dinner sounds wonderful." She then took the hand he offered her. Together, they headed out the front door, hand in hand. And with that their mission was underway.


	8. Dancing in the Dark

**Chapter 7: Dancing in the Dark**

* * *

Sam and Jack, who was currently posing as 'Pete,' sat in a dark corner of the restaurant overlooking a small dance floor. They ate their meals in silence until the lack of conversation became quite uncomfortable for them both. Pretending to be dating when you were technically prohibited from doing so was a tricky proposition… especially when both parties secretly harbored forbidden romantic feelings for each other. 

Keeping up the act, just in case they were being watched or listened to, Jack initiated a conversation just as 'Pete' might have done. "So... Sam, what's new at work?"

Sam jumped at the sound of his voice. The events of the day had left her tense and jittery. She struggled to calm herself and then nervously answered, "Nothing much. At least nothing I can talk about." She was clearly not comfortable with the situation, but for a woman who had committed a murder in self-defense just a couple of hours before she was holding up rather well.

Trying to ease her discomfort somewhat, Jack tried to get her to relax by lightening the conversation. "Oh come on! You can tell me some things – just leave out the classified stuff."

Sam smiled faintly at his playful prodding and acquiesced, "Okay... Daniel is working hard as usual. The Colonel is gradually recovering from his injury and taking a vacation in Minnesota."

"What kind of boss is O'Neill?" Jack asked teasingly, still attempting to cheer her up.

It worked. Sam laughed softly, her smile a little wider this time, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Jack's expression suddenly turned serious. "Actually, I would."

Sam stared him straight in the eye and answered sincerely, "Okay. He can be a pain in the ass. But he's always there for me when I need him. And he is also the best CO I've ever had the honor of serving with."

"Quite a compliment." Jack took a sip of wine and waited for her to continue.

Instead of continuing to stroke his ego, she decided to turn the tables on him. "Enough about the Colonel. What have you been up to since the last time I saw you, Pete?"

Jack grinned, seemingly amused at having to make up a story about Pete's week. "Oh, you know. Going out on cases. I know how boring that stuff can be. Besides, murder and mayhem are hardly good topics for dinner conversation. Here I am at a beautiful candlelit restaurant, with one of the loveliest women I have ever known. Surely, we can find something more romantic to do than talk about cops and robbers." He motioned towards the empty dance floor. "In fact, how about a dance, Sam?"

The sound of old Italian art songs being performed by the house string quartet and a vocalist wafted through the air, but no one was dancing.

His suggestion only served to make Sam even more nervous. She visibly paled and started to fidget in her chair. "A dance?" she asked hesitantly, apprehensive of getting physically close to Jack.

"Sure...you...me...dancing...What's not to like?" He got up from his chair to help her out of her seat.

"Okay…but this doesn't really seem like the kind of music that you actually dance to…" she noted uncertainly.

Jack smirked playfully as he offered her his hand. "That makes it even more romantic, don't you think?"

They wound their way slowly to the dance floor. Once there, Jack pulled Sam into his arms, sheltering her in his welcoming embrace. Sam promptly accepted the comfort his arms offered, knowing it was something she needed it at that moment. Within seconds, she gently rested her head on his shoulder, finally relaxing after the horrors of the day. As they began to sway in time to the strains of "Il mio bel foco," Jack began to softly whisper a translation of the words into her ear.

"The fire of my love, however far or near I may be, is never changing. It will always burn for you, dearest eyes." At these words, Sam lifted her head to gaze into his eyes, finding only complete sincerity in their brown depths.

His own gaze tenderly traced the contours of her face as he continued, "The flame that burns in me is so dear to my soul, that it cannot be extinguished." As the vocalist's voice resonated on the last word of the phrase, Jack skillfully dipped Sam back and then pulled her back up until her body was once again securely in his embrace.

Sam smiled dazedly and then returned her head once again to his shoulder. He continued to murmur the words of the song in her ear. "And if fate entrusts you to me, lovely rays of my beautiful sun, my soul will desire no other light than you." As the song finished, he impulsively placed a light kiss on her cheek.

They continued to dance as the next song began, still alone on the dance floor. To both, it almost seemed as if they were the only two people in the room.

As they danced, Sam marveled that the man in her arms looked and sounded exactly like the man she had been dating for over a month. And yet, Pete had never made her feel this way. Being with Pete had been fun and exciting. Not so much because she was in love with him, but because it had been so long since anyone had treated her in that way – complimenting her, taking her dancing, bringing her flowers. Pete had made her feel desirable, and that was a novelty for a woman who spent her days on a military base or off on missions with the guys. But she had never really been in love with him. He had merely been an attempt to get over the one man she truly loved and could not have.

Knowing that she was here in this moment, actually dancing with Jack, brought butterflies to her stomach. She could only describe the way she was feeling as… giddy. It was then that she realized that even if he did look exactly like Pete, she could never mistake him for the other man. The way he looked at her, the way he touched her… it was all distinctively Jack. It didn't matter what he looked like. All that mattered was that the man behind the mimic device was really Jack. As she came to this realization, her hand reflexively wandered to the back of his neck. Venturing further, and knowing the risks of what she was feeling, she ran her fingertips lightly through the course ends of his short hair.

At her delicate touch, Jack began to wonder if this idea had been a good one. As he held Sam in his arms and felt her fingers running through his hair, he realized for the first time just how dangerous this operation could eventually get. No... he wasn't worried so much about the rogue NID. They were fairly predictable. He could handle them.

He was more worried about himself. Getting this close to Carter... to Sam... was playing with fire. How could he spend time with her outside work... pretending to be her boyfriend... and still be her ever-stalwart CO at the same time? How in hell was he going to be able to uphold the regulations when he knew full well how he really felt about the woman currently in his arms?

He adored her... he had known that fact for years. At work and on missions it was easy to put those feelings in a box and compartmentalize them. But spending time with her at romantic restaurants… holding her hand… touching and kissing her as a boyfriend was expected to… that was going to be the hard part.

The risk was always there that the line between his real self and the role he was playing would become irreparably blurred. And when this little charade they were playing came to an end - which he knew it undoubtedly would – how would he ever be able to go back to being just her CO and her friend?

* * *

_AN: "Il mio bel foco," also called "Quella fiamma che m'accende," is an 18th century Italian art song. It probably hasn't been used as a song for dancing since that time. But I couldn't find any more modern Italian love songs that I liked and this one is just so darned romantic. The translation is pieced together from various sources._


	9. Visiting Hours

_AN: Just so you know, this chapter skips back to Season 8. Sam is still in the infirmary recovering from the injuries she sustained in the earthquake. Hopefully all this skipping around in time is not too confusing._ : )

**Chapter 8: Visiting Hours**

* * *

_One Year Later (After Season Eight's 'Endgame' and Chapters 1-5)_

Daniel and Teal'c strolled into the infirmary, anxious to see if there had been any change in Sam's condition. When they arrived at her bedside, both were somewhat surprised to see Pete Shanahan sitting beside her, tightly clasping her one free hand between both of his.

Daniel nervously cleared his throat to get the detective's attention, before greeting him. "Detective Shanahan… I had no idea you were going to be on base today. I guess Jack got in touch with you."

Pete turned to face the two men and nodded somberly. "Yeah. General O'Neill arranged for me to come down here to be with Sam. Even gave me free access to this level so I can walk around and stretch my legs a bit."

At this news, Daniel was slightly taken aback. As far as he knew, Pete had been on base only once before and he had been accompanied by Sam or an SF at all times. And he had been stuck in the infirmary almost the entire time. As soon as he recovered from the injury he sustained during the Osiris stakeout, Sam had immediately taken him home to Denver.

Knowing that Jack would normally have a major problem with granting Pete free access of any sort while on base, Daniel warily replied, "Oh… that was very nice of him. How are you doing?"

Pete let out a weary sigh. No matter how he personally felt about Sam's husband, Daniel could not deny that the man was deeply troubled at her current condition.

"I don't really know, Doctor Jackson," Pete answered. "I mean… there was always the chance of something like this happening. I knew that. But I never expected it happen so soon. And for it to happen on a routine mission like that…"

Daniel smiled sympathetically, while Teal'c merely gave him an understanding nod.

There was something else that was bothering Daniel about Pete. Maybe it was the way the man nervously played with Sam's fingers…or maybe it was the fact that Pete knew that Sam had been injured on a 'routine' mission.

'How the hell would Pete know something like that?' he thought. He shrugged off his suspicions, assuming that Jack or Dr. Brightman must have informed Pete of all of the details of what had happened.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," a female voice announced from behind them. "Back again so soon?"

"We have procured the nourishment you suggested, Doctor Brightman. We are now prepared to keep watch over Colonel Carter until she awakens," Teal'c replied.

"It could be anytime now, Teal'c. The swelling on the Colonel's brain is slowly going down, and she should be waking up sometime today I would think."

"What did the neurologist say yesterday?" Pete asked in concern.

"Well, Detective Shanahan…Dr. Richards gave a very promising prognosis. He believes that the blood that is accumulated in Colonel Carter's brain is being reabsorbed as it should and that surgery will be unnecessary - at least at this time. It's important that we keep on monitoring it to make sure there is no reoccurrence or long-term side effects, but both Dr. Richards and I are very hopeful that she will have a full recovery. We were lucky that we got her back to the SGC relatively quickly."

"That's wonderful news. Does Jack know?" Daniel exclaimed.

The doctor shook her head. "Actually…I haven't been able to get in touch with the General today. Apparently, he is on base but he hasn't been in his office all morning. I'm sure he'll be by sometime today and I will be sure to tell him the good news then. I'll let you get back to your visit." The doctor turned and slowly walked away from them to check on her other patients sleeping nearby.

The three men silently sat around Sam's bed for the next five minutes. Neither Daniel nor Teal'c had any idea what to talk about with Pete sitting there in the same room. Any conversation they had could not contain any classified information, or any discussion concerning the SGC, which made topics rather hard to come by. Once it became apparent that no one was going to talk, Pete rose from his chair, obviously eager to escape the awkward atmosphere in the room.

"I'm going to take a little walk. I've been sitting in that chair for what seems like hours. I'll be back in a few," he explained before he sauntered out of the infirmary.

As soon as he was gone, Daniel turned to Teal'c. "Boy… that was awkward. We really need to come up with some topics we can discuss in front of Pete. After all, he's married to Sam now. We're going to be spending a lot more time with him. It would be best to find some things we all have in common that don't involve the SGC."

Teal'c tilted his head, deep in thought, and replied, "I cannot think of anything, Daniel Jackson."

"Well…we're two pretty smart guys. I'm sure we can come up with something if we put our minds to it."

Unexpectedly, another voice entered into the conversation. "What's up with all of the noise? Don't you know some of us are trying to get some sleep here?"

Both men turned to behold the sleepy blue eyes of Sam Carter struggling to stay open.

"Sam! You're awake!" Daniel shouted, a huge smile breaking out on his face.

"Daniel… keep it down. You would not believe the massive headache I have right now."

"I can imagine. You gave us all quite a scare, Sam." Daniel smiled at her, relieved that she was going to be okay. Suddenly he remembered something. "Oh… Pete! I should go get him."

"Pete's here? At the SGC?" Sam asked groggily.

"O'Neill invited Detective Shanahan to visit you while you recover from your injuries. He has just left your side to refresh his legs," Teal'c informed her.

"I'll go get him," Daniel offered. As he reached the door, he turned back to look at Sam. "Now, Sam… don't go back to sleep just yet. I promise I'll be back in a jiffy."

Sam stared at Teal'c, a look of confusion on her face. "Teal'c… did Daniel just say 'jiffy'?" Teal'c smiled slightly and nodded in acknowledgment.

She sighed lightly in relief. "Good… for a second there I thought I hit my head harder than I thought."

Daniel rushed down the halls of Level 21, frantically looking for Pete. But the missing detective was nowhere to be seen. Turning the corner, he accidentally bumped into Sergeant Harriman, sending the frazzled airman's stack of papers and files scattering to the floor.

"Walter… I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming," he apologized as he helped Walter pick up his papers. "I was just looking for Detective Shanahan… you know… Colonel Carter's husband. She's just woken up!"

Walter's eyes widened and he appeared to be almost as excited as Daniel. "That is very good news, Dr. Jackson. I'm sure everyone on base will be thrilled. The staff has been so worried about the Colonel…"

"As have we all, Walter. But it looks like she will make a full recovery," Daniel reassured him.

"I'll pass on the good news, sir."

"Oh, Walter… have you seen Detective Shanahan? He was supposed to be walking around on this level."

Walter picked up the last file on the floor and straightened his pile of folders before responding, "Yes, Dr. Jackson. I just saw him go into the restroom. He must have needed to use the facilities."

At this information, Daniel was once again puzzled. 'Why would Pete need to go into one of the bathrooms out here?' he asked himself. 'There's one in the infirmary.' Again, he shook off his suspicions and headed for the restroom, determined to find Pete and get him before Sam went back to sleep once more.

He opened the bathroom door and was relieved to see Pete standing there with his back to him. Just as Daniel was about to call out and inform Pete of the good news, the detective's image began to flicker. Daniel blinked a few times and when he again opened his eyes, Pete was no longer standing before him. General Jack O'Neill, however, was.

"Jack…?" he asked incredulously.

Jack immediately turned around to face him. There was a hint of nervousness on the General's face, which was quickly replaced by a genial smile. "Oh... hey, Daniel. I was just going down to see Carter. Needed to… pee first." He waved towards the urinals lining the back wall of the bathroom. Normally Daniel would've taken Jack's explanation at face value – it was a typical Jack response. But this time Jack's words seemed more like an attempt to conceal what was really going on.

Daniel's mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to mumble, "You... you… you were just... Pete."

"What the hell are you talking about, Daniel?" Jack huffed in annoyance.

"You were just Pete," Daniel stated again, more sure of himself this time.

Jack walked up to him, his face filled with concern. "Did you hit your head on something... or have you gone nuts again?"

"No... I know what I just saw." Daniel was adamant. "I was walking down the hall, looking for Pete in order to tell him that Sam had woken up..."

At this news, Jack immediately became agitated. "Wait a minute... Carter is awake? I've got to get down there..." He anxiously tried to push past Daniel, but was restrained when the younger man firmly grasped his shoulders.

"Oh, no you don't, Jack. As I was saying, I walked into this room and Pete was standing there, facing away from me. Then he began to flicker and instead of Pete, you were standing there. Do you mind telling me what's going on, Jack?"

Jack shook his head roughly and pulled out of Daniel's restraining hold. "Not now, Danny. We need to get back to the infirmary. Carter's waiting…"

Daniel stood resolutely in front of the door, blocking the exit. "Not until you tell me exactly what is going on and why you are posing as Pete. You're using one of those mimic devices, aren't you?"

Finally, Jack sighed and conceded, "I promise I will explain everything, Daniel. Just... after I see Carter, okay?"

Daniel looked at Jack, his discerning gaze searching for the truth behind Jack's stony façade. But the only expression he could see in Jack's dark eyes could only be described as desperation. At that moment, Daniel knew Jack would do anything to get to Sam. And he wasn't stupid enough to stand in the man's way for one second longer.

Daniel nodded in acquiescence and moved aside, "Okay, I'll let it go for now. But, promise me you will tell me. Soon."

"I promise," Jack answered before he rushed out of the restroom and down the hall, making his way to the woman patiently waiting for him in the infirmary.

Daniel chased after him, unable to keep up. When he finally reached the infirmary, Daniel found a very interesting and poignant sight. Jack was standing next to Sam's bed, huge smiles plastered on each of their faces. When he looked down at the bed, he noticed that Jack and Sam's fingers were intimately and comfortably entwined – as if holding hands was an act they engaged in everyday.

"Hey you," Jack softly murmured as he stared affectionately down at Sam. "I hear you've been slacking off, Colonel. You know I can't have that on my base."

"Sorry, General. I'll try to not let it happen again," Sam replied drowsily.

"See that you don't," he ordered jokingly. "I can't have my top officer sleeping in the infirmary all day long."

"Yes, sir…" Sam sighed as her eyes drifted shut once again and she fell back into a deep sleep, a contented smile still gracing her face. Jack continued to stare tenderly at her as she drifted off to sleep.

"Did you not find Detective Shanahan, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c inquired.

Daniel did not quite know how to respond to the question. Had he really found Pete Shanahan? Or was there even really such a person? "To tell you the truth, Teal'c, I have no idea…" he answered as he glared pointedly at Jack.

Jack gently extricated his hand from Carter's, reluctant to relinquish his contact with her. "It seems I have quite a story to tell you guys. Why don't we head up to my office and I'll explain everything."

TBC


	10. Operation Bellerophon

**Chapter 9: Operation Bellerophon**

* * *

The three men were silent on their journey down to Jack's office. Once inside, Jack shut the door and locked it, not wanting any uninvited interruptions. 

As Daniel sat down in one of the leather chairs in front of Jack's desk, he prodded, "Okay, Jack. Are you ready to tell us what's going on?"

Jack walked behind his desk and sat down. He propped his elbows on his desk and ran his fingers roughly over his face in exasperation. "What's going on Daniel?" he repeated. "To put it in the simplest terms, I am Pete Shanahan."

"What?" Daniel exclaimed in shock. Teal'c, in turn, only raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"I am Pete," Jack repeated and then continued, "Or at least I have been for about a year now."

Daniel looked at him skeptically, certain that this was just a very bad practical joke. "If you're Pete now and have been for a year, who was Pete before?"

Jack let out a frustrated groan. It had been a very long day and it was such a long and complicated story that Jack really didn't want to get into it right at that moment. But he knew Daniel would not let him put it off for one minute longer.

And so Jack tentatively began. "Well, that's a very long story. You see... about a year ago, Carter found out that someone from the Trust was impersonating Pete. It seems she discovered that he was using a modified mimic device in order to look and sound like Pete. When he found out that she was on to him, he tried to kill her."

Teal'c once again raised one eyebrow as he responded, "Such actions would be most unwise. Colonel Carter is a formidable warrior."

"Yes she is, Teal'c," Jack concurred. "And the guy, like so many before him, underestimated her and paid the price for it. Carter ended up killing the guy in self-defense and called me in a state of panic. I arrived at her house and took care of everything. To make a long story short, we eventually came up with a plan to use the situation to our benefit – to gather intel on the Trust."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "So you began using the mimic device to pose as 'Pete' in order to infiltrate the Trust?"

"Exactly," Jack replied. Jack hoped that the interrogation would end there. However, it was not to be.

It was clear from Daniel's expression that he was not a happy camper…and that he was not about to let Jack get off that easily. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you."

Jack picked up a pen from his desk and began nervously fiddling with it. "I wanted to, Daniel, believe me. So did Carter. But we couldn't. After we found out about the possible threat posed by the Trust having these new modified mimic devices, we immediately informed Hammond and the President of the situation. They authorized what has become known as Operation Bellerophon. Since we had no idea who might be utilizing a mimic device to spy for the Trust, it was decided to keep the operation as need to know only. Carter and I were to be the only ones involved by order of the President himself."

Daniel's brow furrowed as he recalled something else that was bothering him about this whole scenario. "So for over a year, you and Sam have been pretending to be dating? Isn't that coming pretty close to crossing the line? I mean… you went so far as to pretend to marry each other. Aren't you breaking the regulations here?"

Jack looked down at his hands uncomfortably, not enjoying a single minute of Daniel's questioning. He took in a large breath of air as he resolved to reveal the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to his friends.

"Actually Daniel... we aren't pretending."

Both Daniel's and Teal'c's eyebrows shot up in astonishment at this news.

Jack tore his gaze away from the demanding stares of the two men, both waiting impatiently for an explanation.

After a brief moment, Jack obliged, embarrassed at having to talk so openly about his deepest feelings. "You two probably know… Carter and I have almost always had certain feelings for each other. In the past, we put our jobs first and kept whatever we felt hidden. But this operation required us to openly show those feelings. At first we were pretending that it was all just an act… a mission. Then as we got deeper into the operation, it suddenly occurred to both of us that we were no longer pretending… that we had never been pretending. Once we both realized this, I notified the President and Hammond immediately and basically told them that we could not continue on with the operation and still uphold the regulations."

Daniel face lit up with hope. "Did the President give you a special dispensation or something?"

Jack shook his head, a wry grin on his face. "No... I retired a few months ago... about a month after I was defrosted by Thor and promoted to Brigadier General. Actually, it was just after you three got stuck in Anubis's secret lab and Ba'al claimed that he had captured you. It was at that point that everything just seemed to be falling down around me. And all I knew was that I needed someone to be there for me… that I couldn't continue being 'the man' unless I could go home at the end of the day and be with Sam."

"You retired?" Daniel asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Daniel…off the record of course," Jack noted. "I have been running the SGC as a civilian ever since. Sam, in turn, now reports directly to Hammond so that there is no conflict of interest. It was the only way to continue running the SGC, complete the mission, and be with Sam."

"So... you and Sam..."

"...Are really married? Yes."

Daniel glared at his friend crossly. "Okay... now I am really mad that I wasn't invited to the wedding."

Jack merely smiled at Daniel's reaction. "Don't worry. Once Carter is all better and the operation is a success, I will publicly announce that I am a retired member of the military. Then Carter and I can have another wedding that you guys can come to."

Daniel sat back in his chair, contemplating all of the repercussions of what he had just learned. "So… all this while, you two have been digging up intel on the Trust." His face lit up as he realized something. "No wonder Sam always seemed to know so much about them. She implied that she had gotten inside info from Agent Barrett at the NID. I guess you were her real source."

"Guilty as charged," Jack admitted. "But we haven't been able to get the kind of information we really need to bring them down yet. The only person I have ever met with is a guy named Jennings."

Daniel nodded knowingly. "He's the guy that wanted me to translate those access codes from Ancient into Goa'uld when Teal'c was being accused of murder."

"The very same," Jack conceded. "I knew he was up to something at the time, but he never entrusted his plans to me. It seems the guy originally posing as Pete was just there to provide any inside info that he could glean."

"Like what?"

"Well, he was the one that told the Trust about Osiris being captured and how she used an Asgard beam to get to and from her ship."

"So with that information, they paid off the scientist at Area 51 to help them get access to it," Daniel noted.

"And used it to steal the Stargate," Teal'c surmised.

"You betcha. Unfortunately, it seems the guy posing as Pete was not very high up in the organization. Jennings never really entrusted me with much information. He never let me in on what their plans were concerning the Gate. If he had, I might have been able to do something about the whole situation with you being blackmailed into translating those codes and Teal'c's neighbor being kidnapped. Hell, I could've done something about the Gate being stolen in the first place."

"If you weren't acquiring much information, then why did you continue with the operation, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"For one thing, we're pretty sure they also had plans in store for Carter. We believe they probably were waiting for an opportune moment to kidnap her and scan her to make another mimic device. One of their ultimate goals was most likely to get someone posing as her inside the SGC. That was where 'Pete' came in. He was supposed to take her away on a honeymoon…"

Daniel interrupted, "…where Jennings and the others would be waiting to kidnap her."

Jack had a haunted look in his eyes as he simply replied, "Yeah."

He paused briefly before adding, "There was also always the hope that I would learn just a bit more – possibly who the leaders in the organization were, who their agents at Area 51, the NID, and possibly the SGC were. There's still that hope. The operation is ongoing as we speak. I have a meeting scheduled with Jennings in a couple of weeks actually."

Daniel stopped him, suddenly becoming a bit troubled. "Wait a minute Jack. If that guy that Sam killed wasn't Pete, what happened to the real Pete? Did the Trust have him killed to get him out of the way?"

A dark expression clouded Jack's face as he explained, "Actually, Daniel, we never met the real Pete Shanahan. Former Detective Peter Shanahan currently resides at Brookfield Mental Rehabilitation Center in beautiful San Bernadino, California. A couple of years ago, he went nuts when he found out his wife was leaving him... for his partner."

"Wow...that's rough." Daniel grimaced.

"Yeah… it gets better. His partner was a woman. It was enough to cause him to flip out. One night, he followed them to the partner's place and proceeded to physically attack his wife and pull a gun on his partner. Fortunately, no one was killed. But he's been in the loony bin ever since."

"How did the Trust discover this information, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.

"Good question... It seems that Shanahan's psychiatrist just happened to have been on the NID payroll at one time," Jack explained. "Pete had been seeing the guy for a while to deal with his marital problems before he went over the edge. In that time, the shrink discovered that Mark Carter was his old college roommate and then he found out that Mark was Carter's brother. He had been keeping tabs on Pete for the Trust for a few months before Shanahan went nuts."

"And of course, that provided them with the opportunity they were looking for," Daniel added, gradually beginning to grasp what had occurred.

Jack continued, "Once Pete was admitted to Brookfield, the doctor just changed the name on the records. So… Peter Shanahan now goes by the name of Joe Manning, although he still insists his name is Pete Shanahan. Everyone there just thinks he's delusional… which of course he is… just not about that."

"But why did the SGC security check not show evidence of Pete Shanahan's mental instability?" Teal'c asked.

"That's exactly what I wondered when I found out, Teal'c," Jack remarked. "I eventually learned that the Trust scrubbed Shanahan's police and medical records – they swiped the whole incident away in fact. The only thing that was left in the records was his divorce."

"Why did they go to so much trouble?" Daniel asked in curiosity.

Jack shrugged, uncertain of how to answer. "A lot of it was just coincidental. When Pete's little psychotic episode happened, they saw it as a good opportunity to replace Pete and get one of their agents close to Carter. The shrink must have arranged for someone from the Trust to scan Shanahan to create the mimic image to download into the device. Their agent, posing as Pete, called Mark Carter and told him that he had just moved to Denver after a bitter divorce and had started a new job at the Denver PD. It was only a matter of time before Mark played matchmaker."

"How did you ascertain this information, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"I got an update on Shanahan from Jennings one day. He mentioned Brookfield, and from there it was easy to find out what had really happened. I went out to California and found Shanahan still living safely at Brookfield, suffering from severe delusions and on heavy medication."

"So... Sam never dated Pete Shanahan?" Daniel wondered.

Jack grunted, obviously still angry and upset about what had been done to Sam. "She's never even met the guy, Daniel. In some ways, it was a relief to her – to know that the Trust hadn't been holding him hostage, or worse… killed him. On the other hand, she was completely freaked out by the fact that she had been dating that Trust goon for over a month. I tell you, that guy was lucky Sam got to him first. If he had still been alive when I got there, I would have made his death very long and painful."

Daniel looked at Jack in concern, hoping his worst fears were not actually true. "What exactly did the guy do to Sam?"

Jack realized what Daniel was asking and replied, "Nothing like that, Daniel. It's just… the bastard made her trust him. She opened her heart to him and all the while he was lying to her… using her. And then when he found out she was on to him, he attacked her. The asshole could have killed her if she hadn't been thinking on her toes. Luckily, the only physical damage he left were some pretty nasty bruises." Jack was still seething at the memory of what Sam had been through.

Daniel was still filled with unanswered questions. His friends had been living a double life for almost a year now and he had never even suspected anything. He was intrigued by this operation and how something so unexpected had finally brought his two friends together.

A bewildered expression crossed Daniel's features. "Wait a minute, Jack. What happened while you were frozen in Antarctica all those months? You couldn't have kept up the operation during that time…"

Jack smiled at his friend's astuteness. It was amusing to watch the questions unravel in the archaeologist's mind. Whereas Teal'c trusted and accepted all the information O'Neill offered, Daniel would not let the subject go until he was satisfied. Daniel never was one for blind acceptance – he had to uncover every detail…every doubt had to be put to rest.

"I didn't," Jack replied matter-of-factly. "Carter took care of everything while I was gone. She used the mimic device to pose as 'Pete' and met with Jennings once - just to let him know that the SGC was shut down for the time being and that no new information would be forthcoming. Jennings didn't contact me again until a couple of months after I was defrosted. It was at that meeting that he basically instructed me to propose to Sam."

Daniel let out a long sigh before a huge smile appeared on his face. "I can't believe it… you're really married to Sam! No wonder she was so happy about it when I grilled her for information. I always knew that she couldn't have been that happy over marrying Pete."

"Yeah…" Jack acknowledged, remembering how happy both he and Sam had been after their marriage.

Trying to bring the conversation to a close, he stared at his two friends with a serious look on his face. "Listen…you two need to keep all of this to yourselves. The operation isn't over yet. Jennings and the other members of the Trust are still out there and they still have an Al'kesh… they'll be back. Jennings wouldn't have set up a meeting with me if they weren't still planning something big. And it looks like it's up to me to find out what that plan is."

"If you need any help, Jack…all you have to do is ask," Daniel offered.

"Indeed," Teal'c added for good measure.

"Thanks, Daniel…T... I could probably use you guys when I go to meet Jennings in a couple of weeks. Sam is usually my back up…but she's in no position to help this time. For the time being, I'm going to focus on Sam and be there for her while she recovers. She needs me now. But…I'll let you know when the time comes."

TBC


	11. Proposals

_AN: Paragraphs in italics indicate a flashback scene to the Season Eight episode 'Affinity.' If you haven't seen that episode, some of this chapter might not make much sense._

* * *

**Chapter 10: Proposals**

* * *

_Later that evening_

It was 0200 in the morning and Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c sat alone in the otherwise empty commissary. After spending a good part of the afternoon at Sam's bedside, keeping her entertained as she drifted in and out of consciousness, they had finally been kicked out of the infirmary.

Precisely a half hour before, Captain Adams, the strictest nurse at the SGC, had insisted that they all leave and get some rest. When none of the three men did as they were instructed, Captain Adams resorted to threatening to ban them entirely from the infirmary until they complied. At this warning, they had all reluctantly left Sam's side with the promise that they would return first thing in the morning.

Still too wired from the events of the day, the three men didn't really want to go to their quarters and sleep. So instead, Daniel had suggested they head to the commissary for a late night snack. Teal'c and Jack immediately perked up at the suggestion of food and they wholeheartedly agreed to the archaeologist's ingenious plan.

Once they had arrived at the commissary, they had raided the fridge and now were each enjoying a tall glass of cold milk and rather large pieces of chocolate fudge cake.

As they munched away at their desserts, a plethora of unanswered questions still raced through Daniel's brain.

In between bites, he continued his earlier interrogation of Jack. "You know, Jack… I've been thinking."

"You really don't give up, do you?" Jack flashed an intimidating glare in Daniel's direction. The look that would scare almost any airman on base unfortunately had absolutely no effect on the archaeologist.

Daniel merely thought for a moment and then replied, "Nope."

In response to this, Jack grunted in annoyance. "Well I've met my quota for one day, Daniel. Any more questions can wait till tomorrow."

A triumphant grin appeared on Daniel's face. "Actually, Jack…it's two o'clock in the morning. It is tomorrow," he astutely pointed out.

"Oh for crying out loud…I give up," Jack bellowed. "What do you want to ask?"

Daniel looked across the table at Jack thoughtfully before taking a large sip of his milk. He then stated almost cautiously, "One thing is still bothering me about your marriage to Sam."

"And what might that be?" Jack mumbled with his mouth half-full of cake.

"Why did it take her over two weeks to accept your marriage proposal? I mean… if it had actually been Pete proposing I could see her taking that long. But it was you…"

Jack swallowed his cake with difficulty before answering hesitantly, "Daniel…you have to understand. That first proposal was all about the mission. Jennings instructed me to propose, so I did. Although Sam and I had already been dating for about a month by that time, I don't think either one of us had even contemplated marriage. I think the idea was a little scary for both of us."

"But Colonel Carter eventually did consent to become your wife, O'Neill. Did she not?" Teal'c inquired.

"Yeah, she did, Teal'c. But it took a long time before she was comfortable with the idea. When I proposed, Sam said she needed more time. Then she practically went AWOL on me. She ended up hiding out in her lab and staying on base all the time. Then we had to investigate what was going on with Teal'c's neighbor and we were just too busy to talk about anything else. Besides, Sam didn't really want to talk about it. And then there was the whole communication problem…"

"What communication problem do you speak of, O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned.

"You know… Carter and I have never been all that good at communicating with each other about our feelings."

"Ya think?" Daniel replied sarcastically.

After a shooting Daniel a warning look, Jack put down his fork and shook his head regretfully. "Have us talk about military strategy or missions and we have no problems… we can practically read each other's minds. But when Sam and I start talking about our personal relationship… that's a whole other story."

Jack pushed his now empty plate to the side and finished off his milk in one large gulp. After he placed his empty glass off to the side near his plate, he continued his explanation. "Around the time I proposed, Sam and I were on base a lot of the time and we never knew who might be listening. We still weren't sure if there were other moles stationed at the SGC. So half of the time, our conversations had to practically be in code. You can imagine how difficult it was to have a meaningful conversation about our relationship while making it seem to any eavesdroppers that we were actually talking about Sam and Pete's relationship. Needless to say, it got to the point that our conversations were damned confusing, cryptic almost. In the process, everything got screwed up. If we had just been straightforward about how we felt from the start, a lot of doubt and hurt could've been avoided."

Daniel looked at his friend in concern, wondering what could have happened all those months ago that still bothered his friend so much. "What happened, Jack?" he asked.

_Jack pounded on her front door, refusing to cease until she answered it. He had been waiting over two weeks for her answer. Every time he had attempted to broach the subject, she had either insisted that she needed more time or had interrogated him with weird questions about where he would be if things were different. This evening he was determined to get some straightforward answers and he wasn't going to leave until he did._

_Sam answered the door a few moments later. She was dressed in baggy sweats and looked as if she had settled in for a pint of ice cream, a chick flick, and a good cry. Without even greeting her, he abruptly pushed past her into her foyer and continued walking straight down the hall into her kitchen._

_He could hear her socked feet softly padding down the hall behind him. When he got to the kitchen, he turned around to face her and demanded, "You wanna tell me why you're avoiding me?" _

_Sam cringed at the anger she saw in his eyes. She had been avoiding this very conversation for two weeks. It was why she had been spending so much time on base. Only there could she avoid having a real conversation with him about his proposal. He had tried to get some answers out of her the previous evening when he came to her lab. But that conversation only served to further confuse and alienate them both. And she knew instinctively that it was the reason why he had come to her house this evening. _

_From his tense and irritated demeanor she knew that she could no longer delay the inevitable. It was time for the truth._

"_I can't marry you, Jack," Sam practically whispered, reluctant to hurt him as she knew her refusal would._

_A look of total shock appeared on his face before it was quickly replaced by complete and utter disappointment. Upset and confused at her admission, he asked with a slight tremor in his voice, "Why not? Don't you realize that it's what Jennings and the Trust expect?"_

_Sam raised herself up to her full height, standing at attention before him. If he hadn't been so upset, he would have found the sight of Sam standing ramrod straight in her fluffy socks and baggy sweats completely adorable. But all he could feel was anger and sorrow building in his soul. _

_Sam, still standing at attention before him, nodded once and bolstered her resolve. "That's precisely why I can't do it. I can't go through with a marriage to a man who only wants to marry me because of a mission. It's too much to ask. In my opinion we only have two options. One – you can tell Jennings that I refused because I thought it was too soon to get engaged. That way we can keep on dating and the mission can still go on. Two – we can go through with a fake wedding."_

_Jack gaped in complete disbelief, finally understanding why she had been avoiding him for so long. "Where did you ever get the idea that I didn't really want to marry you?"_

_Sam shrugged uncertainly. She had been assuming all along that he was only proposing because of the mission. She would never have suspected that his proposal had been in earnest. "We've really only been dating for a month, Jack. Don't you think it's a bit soon?"_

_Jack's eyes filled with determination, knowing immediately that he had to convince her of his feelings for her. It always amazed him that his strong and confident second-in-command could be so uncertain and vulnerable when it came to romantic relationships. He found it truly remarkable that she could still be doubtful about his feelings for her. _

_Jack gently took one of her hands in his and softly replied, "I think I've been in love with you for years now. If you ask me, it's long enough."_

"_You love me?" Sam's eyes widened in shock as she whispered the question in astonishment._

_Jack took a step towards her so that their bodies were only centimeters apart. Instead of answering her right away, he reached out with his free hand and tenderly cupped her face. He then ran his fingertips over her face, exploring the lines and planes of her forehead and cheek before brushing his fingers through her hair and resting his hand at the back of her neck. He lightly pulled her forward into a slow, insistent, exploratory kiss. _

_When the kiss finally ended and their lips reluctantly parted, Jack finally provided an answer to her question. He leaned his forehead gently against hers and whispered, "Sam… I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone. I guess the question is… how do you feel about me?"_

_Sam, still recovering from the dizzying effect of his kiss, smiled shyly and blushed at his revelation. She then quietly offered her own, "I have never loved anyone more than you, Jack."_

_At her words, Jack smiled sensuously, his eyes suddenly filled with desire. It was precisely the answer he had been hoping for. "Well then… it's seems you've been hiding from me for two weeks for no reason whatsoever. What do you say we make up for lost time?"_

_Sam responded with a matching smile. She tilted her face up to meet his and captured his lips in a blinding kiss. When it was apparent that their self-control was gradually slipping away, she abruptly pulled back from his lips and whispered, "Bedroom…" and then took his hand in hers and led him down the hall._

_An hour later, they were lying in bed, tangled happily in each other's embrace. Sam curled into Jack's body, craving the closeness that she had denied herself for over two weeks. _

_As they laid there in silence, Jack suddenly asked, "Do you want to tell me what that conversation yesterday evening was all about?"_

_Sam moaned at the memory of their earlier conversation in her lab and buried her face in his chest in embarrassment. She felt ridiculous for avoiding him and for keeping him waiting for an answer for so long. But most of all, she was embarrassed at so much of what she had said the previous evening._

_Tentatively, she began to explain, "I knew exactly why you came to my lab last night. It was because you wanted to know why I hadn't answered your proposal and why I had been avoiding you."_

_Jack chuckled lightly as he stroked her arm with his fingertips. "You're right on the money there. But why did you show me the ring… why the whole charade?"_

_Sam pillowed her head on his chest, seeking comfort in his warmth. "I was trying to make you see how freaked out I was about the whole thing. You have to admit the whole proposal in the park was not the most romantic way to get engaged."_

_Jack turned his head to look her in the eye, trying to determine whether she was upset or not at his method of proposing. "You know why I did it that way… they were watching. It was part of the mission, for crying out loud. Is that why you were upset with me? My proposal wasn't romantic enough?"_

_Sam tightened her arms around him, reassuring him. "No… it had nothing to do with how you proposed. It's just, I hoped that if and when we got engaged it would be about us… not a mission. That we wouldn't be doing it because someone told us to… it would be because we wanted to."_

_Jack sighed gloomily and kissed her brow. "I know... it's not my ideal either, Sam. But I do want to marry you. Just see it this way… Jennings telling me to propose to you just provided me with an opportunity to do something that I have wanted to do for a very long time."_

"_Really?" Sam lifted her head and propped her chin on his chest, her expression filled with wonder and amazement. _

_Jack smiled openly at her reaction, overwhelmed that he had the power to make her so happy just by admitting how he truly felt about her. "You betcha. What was the rest of the conversation about? You know… kids and daycare and the crab nebula?"_

_Sam's joyous countenance faded slightly, as it was replaced with an expression of worry. "I guess I needed to find out how you felt about those things. If we do get married, Jack… will you still be okay with me going out on missions?"_

"_Of course," he answered matter-of-factly, not giving it a second thought._

"_And if we do decide to have a family?"_

_Jack rolled her over onto her back. He leaned over her and cradled her head gently between his hands, proceeding to plant a resolute and reassuring kiss on her lips. "As Bratac would say… we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But if you want kids, we will figure out how to make it work. If you don't, that's okay too. We can talk about it some more tomorrow if you want."_

"_Okay…" Sam replied as he rolled once more onto his back, pulling her with him until she was once again snuggled soundly by his side. They began drifting off to sleep, Sam's head once again pillowed on Jack's chest._

"_Jack…?" Sam asked, unsure of whether he was already asleep._

"_Hmm…?"_

"_What did you mean when you said you wouldn't be here if things were different?" _

_That one statement he had made had been bothering her all day long. She had no idea what he had meant by it. Did he mean that he longed for things to be different? Would he rather be someplace else than at the SGC, working alongside her? Would he rather be with someone else? She knew with certainty that one statement would continue to plague her throughout the night if she didn't get an answer from him._

_Jack laughed softly, amused that she had read so much into his statement. "At the time, I meant that if you had just accepted my proposal in the first place and hadn't been avoiding me for two weeks that I wouldn't have had to ambush you in your lab at 0130. Personally, I like to think that we would have been somewhere other than your lab… like here in bed… like we are now. Don't you think this is much nicer place to be than your lab?"_

_He paused, realizing that Carter's lab was one of her favorite places on Earth, and added, " Wait a minute… you better not answer that one."_

"_Oh…" she muttered, never expecting the meaning behind his words would be so straightforward and simple. He literally had meant that he logistically would have been in a different place...with her. "Sorry about that," she apologized. _

"_No problem. Now that we've settled everything, can we get some sleep now? I haven't slept all that well for the past couple of weeks."_

_Sam nodded and smiled at him sleepily. "Me too. But I think we will both be sleeping a lot better from now on."_

_"We will," Jack agreed, "now that we're together again."_

"So you two worked everything out and Sam finally said 'yes'?" Daniel asked questioningly.

Jack had a faraway look on his face as he thought back to the moment when she had finally agreed to marry him. "She did… and not just to a fake marriage between with Pete Shanahan. She agreed to a real marriage between me and her. Of course, we weren't planning on going through with it so soon. But then we were in Utah and everything just seemed… so right. Being in Zion and then going to Vegas… it was the opportunity to make everything all right."

"How so, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

Jack smiled contentedly as he explained, "When I proposed to Sam in the park that first time… that was part of the mission. It was 'Pete' proposing to Sam for the benefit of the Trust. It was a set-up…we knew they were watching. When I proposed to her for the second time that day in the Narrows at Zion…it was just the two of us. And it was me, Jack, proposing to Sam – the woman I love. In that moment, she was all that mattered…not the mission, not the Trust, not the SGC."

Jack sat back in his chair, relaxed and content. Even though he hated talking about his feelings, he had to admit that it had been a relief to share his deepest thoughts and secrets with Daniel and Teal'c. He had been hiding his emotions from them for so long. The secrets…the mission…the lies...it was a burden he and Sam had carried alone for almost a year. It was comforting to now know that he would no longer have to hide anything from his two friends… and that he and Sam would no longer be the only ones to carry the burden.

TBC


	12. Coming Home

**Chapter 11: Coming Home**

* * *

_A couple of weeks later_

Jack, having adopted the appearance of Pete Shanahan earlier in the day, quickly jogged around the back of the black SUV, eager to get to the other side before Sam decided to take matters into her own hands and exit the truck unassisted. Once he reached the passenger side door, he opened it and offered a helping hand to his wife. Sam presented him with a grateful smile as he wrapped his arm securely around her waist to support her as she struggled out of the truck and landed on solid ground.

As Jack reached into the truck to get her bag of belongings, Sam began carefully making her way down the path leading to her house, her casted arm tucked safely in a sling. Jack followed closely behind her, wanting to be protective and yet at the same time allow her space to do things on her own. While he knew his wife was a strong and able woman, he couldn't help but worry about her since the accident. But he also knew that he had to let her recover on her own terms, or he would quickly be facing the wrath of a very frustrated woman who had no desire to be coddled.

Once inside, Jack immediately removed his mimic watch, as was his usual habit while at home, and put it in his pocket. Looking like himself once more, he gently ushered Sam to the sofa in the living room and went to put her things away in the bedroom. He soon returned to her side with something cold for her to drink.

Sam was finally home after two weeks in the infirmary, and although she was far from all better, she was now able to move around with little difficulty. She was still healing – her arm was still in a cast, her ribs were still sore, and she still suffered with the aches and pains of someone who has recently gone through major surgery. Yet Jack was simply glad to have her with him once more and relieved that it looked as though she would eventually make a full recovery.

As they sat next to each other, Jack asked, "So…how is it being home again?"

Sam smiled at him contentedly as she leaned back into the soft cushions of the sofa. "It feels like heaven. I was getting so tired of being stuck in that infirmary bed."

Jack sighed wearily, his escalating emotions making his voice shake slightly, "You know, Sam… when they came through the Gate and you were on that stretcher, I thought I had lost you. It would have destroyed me if I had lost you."

Sam's eyes began to glisten with unshed tears as she stared at her husband. It was a rare occurrence to see Jack so openly vulnerable and freely expressing his emotions.

"I know…" she noted in muted tones, "while I was buried under the rumble of the temple, I was conscious some of that time and all I could think of was how happy we were and how I didn't want to lose that. The thought of coming home to you, Jack, gave me the strength to hang on while they pulled me out of there."

Sam leaned her head on Jack's shoulder, glad to just be able to be close to him once more. As they sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity, a degree of tension began to fill the air. The silence was finally broken when Sam could hold her peace no longer.

"Jack…I'm not going to be there in the surveillance van today to watch your six." Her tone carried a great deal of worry and fear. "Every time you've met with him in the past, I've been there for you… just in case something went wrong."

Jack took her free hand in his and began to stroke his thumb soothingly over the back of it. He could sense her anxiety at having to leave him to face Jennings on his own. "Don't worry, Sam. I've got Daniel and Teal'c acting as backup. They won't let anything happen to me… you can count on it."

Sam looked up at him and nodded sadly, "I know… I just would feel better if I was there. If anything happened to you…"

"Nothing's gonna happen. Teal'c and Daniel will take care of me. They'll watch my six almost as good as you did," he added with a facetious wink. His answer seemed to satisfy her for the moment.

Jack then reluctantly rose from the sofa and moved toward the kitchen to tidy up before leaving. "Anything I can get you before I leave?" he asked.

Sam frowned slightly, her mood decidedly melancholy. "No… I just wish you didn't have to go, Jack."

"I do too. But Jennings set up this meeting over three weeks ago. It would be suspicious if I didn't show up. Don't worry, Sam… I'll be back as soon as the meeting's over," he reassured her.

He walked over to her seated form and leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You know I love you, don't you?" he whispered in her ear.

"I know…"

Jack then turned to leave and began walking down the hall, reaching in his pocket for his watch. Just as he was almost out of sight, Sam called out to him, partly serious, partly in jest, "Remember, Jack… you're the only husband I have… and I don't particularly want another."

Jack turned around to face her, a smug smirk on his face. "So you think you'll keep me then?"

Sam, however, did not return the smile. Her wide blue eyes conveyed the serious nature behind her next words. "For always, Jack… so please be careful…promise?"

"Promise. Get some rest, Sam. I'll be back soon." Jack put on the mimic device, transformed into Pete, and then walked down the hall and out the door, leaving his wife at home alone, awaiting his safe return.

* * *

They met in their usual spot – the picnic table at the far side of the park that was hidden beneath a group of trees. Jennings was waiting there when he arrived, dressed impeccably as usual in a dark suit. Meanwhile, Jack had once again donned the guise of Pete Shanahan. 

As soon as Jack sat down, Jennings immediately asked, "How is Colonel Carter, Detective Shanahan? I heard she ran into a bit of trouble on a recent mission."

Jack frowned at the knowledge that this Trust agent knew so much about Sam and what had happened to her. "It was touch and go for a while there. But she's going to be fine in a couple of months. She broke her arm and some ribs. Those will heal in a few weeks. The doctors had to remove her spleen, but I've been told that her other organs will adapt and take over the functions that the spleen performs over time."

"And her head injury? I believe it was quite serious, wasn't it?"

Jack nodded, wary of how Jennings could know so much about his wife's injuries. "Yeah… it didn't require surgery but she still gets headaches and is dizzy if she moves around too much. The doctors will continue to keep an eye on it for the time being."

Jennings could not conceal a slight sneer as he asked his next question. "Does this mean the end of her illustrious military career?"

"I don't think so…" Jack answered. "It will be up to the military doctors, or so I'm told. But so far, they are hopeful that she will make a full recovery and will be back at work in a couple of months… at least in the labs at the SGC. It will probably be a little longer before she is able to go back out on missions."

Jennings looked out over the playground, deep in thought. "This may be a good thing, Detective Shanahan. Perhaps it will allow you more access to the SGC. Already, you have been able to spend much more time inside Cheyenne Mountain, I understand."

Jack shot a suspicious glare in Jennings direction. "You seem to know a lot about what's going on in my life, Jennings. Do you have another mole working with you from inside the SGC?"

An evil grin spread across Jennings' face. "Perhaps… but you need not concern yourself with that. Your job is to get us access to Colonel Carter. And my superiors believe the time has come to implement phase two of our plan for her."

Jack made an educated guess about what phase two entailed. "You want me to take Colonel Carter away on a romantic getaway so you can scan her, create a mimic device, and replace her with a Trust agent?"

Jennings' grin widened as he informed Jack, "The plans regarding Colonel Carter have changed somewhat in recent weeks. Your part in the plan, however, has not. How soon do you think it will be before Colonel Carter can travel?"

Jack frowned, unhappy that he was once again being kept in the dark. "She won't be able to go anywhere for a few more weeks… I would estimate about a month at least. If I may ask, how have the plans changed?"

Jennings thought for a moment, debating how much he should tell Jack about the new plan. In the end, he offered only one enticing morsel of information. "We no longer seek to create a mimic of Colonel Carter and replace her. However…we still will need you to draw her away from the SGC and Colorado Springs."

"If you're not going to scan her to create a mimic device, what are you going to do with her?"

Jennings shot Jack a stern look. "That's need to know right now…and you do not need to know."

Jack acted appropriately chastised and nodded compliantly. "Okay… so I'll get the ball rolling for phase two then.

At this, the scowl on Jennings' face lifted and he once again plastered on a malicious smile. "Good. We will plan for phase two to take place in a month then. Your assignment in the next few weeks is to take care of your lovely bride and make the suggestion of a belated honeymoon to her when she feels up to it. I will then be in touch with you regarding the date and place for your trip. Once you have taken Colonel Carter away on your honeymoon, I will meet up with you to provide further instructions. Good luck, Detective. I need not tell you how important this assignment is. It would not be wise to fail us at this time."

After Jennings had left, Jack walked to his SUV and drove off to meet up with Daniel and Teal'c at the rendezvous point. Once he was certain he was not being followed, he pulled into the parking lot of a busy grocery store. He got out of his truck and moved stealthily to an awaiting white cargo van parked nearby.

After knocking quietly on the back door, the door opened and Jack hopped in. Daniel closed the door behind him and then turned around, a strange expression on his face.

"You know, Jack… it's really hard to get used to you looking like Pete. I get confused every time I see you this way."

Jack took off the mimic watch and transformed back into his own natural image. "Imagine how it was for Carter, Daniel. Half of the time we were dating, she was going out on the town with a man who looked exactly like the person who tried to strangle her."

"That indeed must have been difficult for Colonel Carter. Her ability to endure and persevere demonstrates her fortitude and strength of will."

"That it does, Teal'c," Jack concurred.

"So… the meeting seemed to go well," Daniel began. "No need for Teal'c and me to charge in and save your ass at least. Sam will be happy about that."

Jack turned to Daniel, a troubled look on his face. "Yeah… Jennings isn't onto us just yet. But there was something strange about him today…"

"How so, O'Neill?"

Jack shook his head, unable to explain what he had sensed about the Trust agent. "I don't know, Teal'c. If you ask me, the guy has always been creepy. But he also has always been completely professional and reserved in the past – he never lets emotion interfere with his mission. This time, Jennings was still professional… but it almost seemed like he was enjoying all this a little too much. It was as though he was happy about what happened to Carter and looking forward to whatever he has in store for her."

"And we still don't know what that is," Daniel pointed out.

"Well, they're definitely up to something," Jack added. "And whatever it is… their plans for Sam play a pivotal role in it. Unfortunately, we're going to have to go along with them for now if we want to find out what those plans are."

"What about Sam, Jack? She's in no shape to be taking part in the rest of this operation," Daniel noted with concern.

"I know, Daniel," Jack agreed. "But you know Carter… once she finds out about what's going on, she's going to want to be part of the action. And to tell you the truth, we need her."

"There is no need to worry about Colonel Carter, O'Neill. We will endeavor to keep her safe until she is no longer a target of the Trust."

Jack put his hand on Teal'c's shoulder, an anxious expression in his eyes. "I know we all will, Teal'c. But I have to tell you, I've got a bad feeling about all this."


	13. Trouble in Paradise

**Chapter 12: Trouble in Paradise  
**

* * *

_One Month Later (After "Gemini")_

Heading down Highway 1 out of Miami towards the Florida Keys, Jack and Sam made their way towards their final destination - a luxury resort in Islamorada. As they drove along the two-lane road, the sun blared down through the windshield of their rental car out of deep cerulean sky.

"How long before we get there, Jack?" Sam asked, her tired voice tinged with apprehension.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the road and his hands tight on the wheel, Jack answered, "About an hour more. We're almost to Key Largo."

Sam, who had been staring out the window at the passing scenery, suddenly turned to look at Jack. "Will Jennings be there when we arrive?"

Jack's expression was well concealed behind his dark sunglasses but Sam could still observe the tension in the set of his jaw. "I don't know, Sam. He just sent me a text message with the name of the resort, our room number, and the check-in date."

"But he's going to meet you at the resort sometime during our stay? That's the plan, right?"

Jack nodded slightly. "Yeah…that's how he made it sound. He was going to meet up with me there to provide further instructions."

Sam once again looked out the window, staring out over the water that stretched on either side of the bridge over Jewfish Creek. She began to nervously tap her fingers against the car door, unaware of her actions.

Jack averted his eyes from the road for a mere second to gaze at her then forced his eyes straight ahead once again. He was worried about her. She had been acting nervous and agitated since they had landed in Miami.

"I know you're worried, Sam," he tried to reassure her, "I am too. But Daniel and Teal'c are already down there staking out the place. They are going to be in the suite right next to us the whole time. They'll make sure everything is as safe as possible."

A harsh huff of doubt emanated from Sam. "It's not Daniel and Teal'c that I'm worried about."

"What going on, Sam? It's not like you to be this nervous before a mission."

Sam propped her arm on the side of the door and rested her head in the palm of her hand, continuing to stare solemnly out the window. "It's just…what if I let you all down?"

Jack's reply was one of surprise. It was unusual for Carter to be doubting her abilities just prior to an important mission like this. She was usually a bastion of confidence. "Where is this coming from?"

"Let's face it…." she answered. "I haven't been making the best decisions lately. Not to mention not quite being up to par physically."

Jack's brow furrowed as he wondered what could have brought out this lack of self-confidence in Sam. "Are you talking about what happened with your replicator double?" He paused and waited for a response. When there wasn't one, he knew he was on the right track.

"I'm only going to say this one more time, Sam – it was not your fault. I allowed you to work with her, I knew something was wrong, and I suspected you were getting too close." His tone was both decisive and reproachful, before it quickly softened and he added, "If anyone is to blame, it should be me."

Sam faced him, her voice filled with uncertainty. "I hear what you're saying, Jack…but I was the one who was taken in. I was the one who let down my guard and trusted her…just because I thought I understood what she had gone through. I forgot she was a machine… an enemy. And I made the mistake of letting my empathy for her cloud my judgment. Now the entire galaxy is in danger because of me."

"Yes, you made a mistake," Jack agreed, weary of trying to keep her from beating herself up over the situation. "Surprise, surprise…the great and brilliant Sam Carter is human and fallible. She knew you inside out, Sam. And she took full advantage of that knowledge. She knew what a good person you are…how you always give people the benefit of the doubt…how you are always willing to trust even when people have let you down time and time again. She knew you, Sam. But she isn't you. She exploited one of the best qualities you possess… your compassion…your heart. It's one of the things I love most about you. And I will not have you beat yourself up because you are a caring person."

"You've never let me down, Jack. I trust you more than I have ever trusted anyone in my life…and you have never once given me a reason to doubt that trust."

He reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle and comforting squeeze. "I hope I never will. Now…stop thinking so negatively about this mission. We are going to go in there and find out what the Trust is up to. This mission is going to be an astounding success. Agreed?"

Sam nodded once, her resolve once again returning. "Agreed. I just have an uneasy feeling about this."

"You're not the only one, Sam. You're not the only one…"

An hour later, they were exploring the spacious and luxurious suite they had been provided at the resort. It consisted of a large bedroom, a small kitchen, and a living area, all of which were sumptuously furnished and decorated. The living area opened up to a large balcony that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.

As she stood on the balcony and stared out over the water, Sam was transfixed by how still the ocean seemed. The only perceptible disruption on the surface was the tiny white waves gently brushing up to the shore one after another. She thought it strange that the world around them could be so peaceful and calm, when she knew that there was an evil force just waiting in the shadows.

They knew Jennings and his men were most likely watching them and had probably been doing so ever since their arrival. They also were well aware that their room was bugged – not only by the Trust, but also by Daniel and Teal'c. Their two friends would be constantly monitoring the situation from room next door, making sure that they remained safe at all times.

After looking around, Jack and Sam decided to take a short nap to recover from their long flight into Miami and the drive down to Islamorada. They lay down on the bed facing each other, their hands barely touching. As Sam's eyes fluttered shut, Jack stared at his wife. He was worried about her. She had just barely recovered from the injuries she had sustained in the off world earthquake. She hadn't even been cleared to go off world on missions with SG-1 yet. And then the incident with the replicator had occurred.

He had been reluctant to let her go to the Alpha Site to meet with the replicator. But in his head, he knew she was the best person to deal with her duplicate. His heart told him otherwise, and now looking back he regretted not listening to his heart. He knew at the time that she was too close to the situation. Yet, he let her continue working with the replicator because he knew it was the only way to get to the bottom of things.

He hated the way the machine had taken advantage of Sam. But more so, he hated how the incident had left Sam filled with doubt and guilt. He reached out his hand and tenderly brushed back a few strands of Sam's blond hair that had fallen over her face. His hand then settled over the hand that was lying on the pillow next to her head.

Two hours later, they lazily awoke from their slumber. They had needed the rest to prepare them for what they knew might be a long night. Within twenty minutes, they were dressed and ready to make their way down to one of the restaurants in the hotel. Both were aware that Jennings would most likely make his appearance while they were at dinner.

The maître d' seated them at a table for two by a window overlooking the moonlit beach. Although they could not see the water, they could hear the lapping of the waves through the open windows lining the back of the restaurant. While they were waiting for their waiter to arrive, Jack excused himself and made his way to the bar to retrieve a glass of white wine for Sam and a beer for himself.

As the bartender poured the drinks with one hand, he slipped a sealed envelope on top of the bar towards Jack with his other. Jack immediately picked up the envelope and gave the bartender a questioning look.

"A gentleman earlier asked me to give this to you," he explained as he finished pouring the glass of wine.

Jack opened the envelope and quickly read the contents. It was from Jennings. It seemed the Trust agent was there at the resort and he was watching every move that Jack and Sam made. The letter contained detailed instructions on what Jack was supposed to do that evening.

He was told to take Sam back to their room after dinner and then to make up an excuse and leave her alone in the room. He would then go next door to Room 314 where Jennings would be waiting with further instructions.

In addition to the letter, the envelope contained a small packet of white powder. The letter instructed Jack to slip the powder into Sam's drink during dinner to make sure she would sleep through his absence that evening. With the drug in her system, she would sleep soundly until morning and never suspect that he had been gone for more than ten minutes.

Of course, Jack had no intention of using the drug. He roughly stuffed the packet of white powder back into the envelope with the letter and then shoved the envelope into his jacket pocket. With a grim expression, he picked up the drinks and headed back to the table where Sam was waiting.

They enjoyed a leisurely dinner and then slowly made their way back to their room. As they walked to the elevators, Jack whispered into Sam's ear, "Act like you're drunk."

Realizing that Jack must have made contact with Jennings and that his request was part of the mission, Sam readily compiled and began to lightly sway and stumble a bit as they got into the elevator. Jack put his arm around her waist, appearing to support her wavering form.

They continued the charade all the way to the room, where Jack helped Sam to bed. As she reclined against the pillows, Jack removed the envelope from his pocket and handed it to her, effectively informing her of what was going on. She quickly read the contents and nodded firmly at him to show that she understood the situation.

Jack then went to the bathroom and began rummaging around noisily. It was all part of the act. He stuck his head out of the bathroom and called out, "Sam, babe…I forgot my toothbrush. I think I'll go see if the gift shop is still open and go get another one."

Sam shot Jack an evil look when he called her 'babe,' informing him that he would pay later for this transgression. She then smiled sweetly at him and played along, "Okay, Pete. I think I'll go ahead and go to sleep, if you don't mind. The trip here must have really drained me. I don't think I could keep my eyes open another second."

"Some honeymoon," Jack quipped, keeping up the show for anyone who might be listening. "Oh well…we have plenty of time for more enjoyable activities later on. Sleep well, babe."

Jack winked at her as she shot him another accusing glare. He knew very well not to call her 'babe.' But as the original 'Pete' had often called her that, it was completely in character for Jack to do so at this moment. It didn't make her like the term of endearment any better.

Sam closed her eyes and pretended to sleep as Jack quietly exited the room. Neither knew what was in store for them that evening, so both were determined to remain on guard at all times.

Jack walked the short distance to Room 314 and knocked on the door. It was immediately answered by Jennings who greeted Jack with a smile.

"Detective Shanahan…" the swarthy man stated, "I see you got my message. I hope you like the accommodations here in Islamorada."

"Everything's great," Jack muttered as he pushed past Jennings into the hotel room. He took a seat in the living area and demanded, "Okay…I'm here. What's the plan?"

Jennings took a seat on the sofa opposite him. "Phase Two is underway. Agent Monroe is preparing Colonel Carter for transport as we speak."

Jack immediately tensed as he heard this information. Sam was in their room next door… alone with an agent of the Trust who had an undisclosed objective.

"What's going to happen to her?" he asked, hoping to learn more about what was intended for Sam.

Jennings merely laughed derisively. "You'll find out soon enough, Shanahan."

The malicious smile on Jennings' face quickly faded as his expression turned to one of anger. As Jack sat in his chair, he was completely unaware that at that moment his image had begun to flicker. A second later, the facade of Pete Shanahan faded entirely and Jack was left completely exposed. Unfortunately, he did not realize what was happening to him until Jennings pulled out a gun and leveled it squarely at his head.

Instead of being shocked or agitated at this turn of events, Jennings remained calm. He directed his controlled anger squarely at Jack. "Well, well, well…General O'Neill, what an unusual surprise. So…our little operation has been compromised."

Knowing now that his ruse had been discovered, Jack tried to deal with the situation as best as he could. That meant coming clean. "We've been onto you for quite some time, Jennings."

Jennings shrugged, as if not caring that his plan had just completely fallen apart. "Too bad for you that the mimic device failed. We never did work out that glitch in its system."

"What glitch might that be?" Jack questioned, realizing for the first time that the reason the device had failed before was probably the same reason it was failing now. The device had been flawed from the very beginning.

"Every so often the power supply fluctuates. It basically leads to an overload and the device shuts down for a few seconds," Jennings explained. "We knew the possibility of it failing at an inopportune time was high, but we had to at least take the chance on using it. It seems that it failed…not only for our agent, but for you as well. Quite unlucky for you, General."

Jack, who realized the object was now obsolete, went ahead and removed the mimic watch and threw it onto a nearby table. "What are you going to do now?"

The Trust agent tensed slightly. Obviously the man was realizing the impact this little discovery would have on his plans. "Well, obviously we will not be able to go through with the scenario for Colonel Carter as planned. You clearly know what our final objective for her was. It's a shame really. I hate having to kill such a beautiful woman."

At these words, panic alighted in Jack's eyes. They were going to kill Carter…because she was no longer of any use to them. Quickly, a plan began formulating in his mind. He had to get next door before anything happened to her.

Jennings pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. "Monroe…abort the mission. We have been compromised. Get out of there and make sure there are no loose ends." Jennings paused to listen to the agent on the other end of the line. "Yes…kill Carter," was his simple answer to his fellow agent's supposed question.

Jennings slapped his phone shut with one hand and moved to put it away. As he fumbled with it slightly, he briefly looked down to guide it into his jacket pocket.

This tiny action provided Jack with the opportunity he had been waiting for. With Jennings' gaze briefly averted, he lunged at the Trust agent and tackled him to the floor. In the commotion, Jennings' gun flew from his hand and landed a few feet away from the struggling men. Pulling back his fist, Jack roughly landed a hard right hook to Jennings' jaw, effectively knocking the other man out for a few precious seconds.

Jack then stumbled towards the gun lying on the floor nearby, his goal to get a hold of it before Jennings recovered from his blow. He succeeded in getting to the gun, but as he turned around to point it at Jennings, the room was filled with a bright flash of light. When the light dissipated, Jack was completely alone in the room. Jennings had escaped.

Not wasting any more valuable time, Jack moved quickly out of the room, praying that he made it to Sam in time to save her life. When he arrived next door, Teal'c and Daniel were already there, both pointing their firearms at two figures standing across the darkened room.

Jack followed their line of sight and found his worst nightmare coming true. Standing in the shadows in the middle of the living area was Agent Monroe. The Trust agent held Sam in a chokehold in front of him, shielding his own body with hers. The most disturbing sight, however, was the gun pointed directly at Sam's right temple.

Her wide blue eyes were filled with fear. No doubt she was remembering the last time a man had threatened her like this…the time she had almost died. But this time, she was not afraid of dying. Rather, she was afraid of letting Jack down. She had allowed herself to be taken hostage by this man, and now her beloved husband was being forced to watch on helplessly as this man threatened her life.

Her eyes locked with Jack's and she was distressed at the panic she saw in his face. Drawing strength from his presence, she knew in an instant what she had to do. She would not let this pathetic excuse of man take her away from Jack. She would not passively stand by and allow this man to kill her in front of the man she loved. If she did, she knew full well that it would destroy Jack. He would never be able to forgive himself for not being able to protect her. That was the one thing she could not allow.

And so she did the only thing she could think of. Before anyone could react, Sam had roughly snapped the heel of her foot upwards towards the agent's groin. At the same time, she skillfully brought her elbow back, jabbing the man in the solar plexus with all the strength she could muster. She knew it was risk – that the gun could go off and kill her at any second. But she had to take the chance. She had to fight.

As Monroe loosened his grip on her and doubled over in pain, Sam initiated her final move. She forcefully jerked her head backwards and it collided brutally with the agent's nose. As she felt and heard it crack, she knew she had successfully rendered him unconscious.

Monroe collapsed to the floor and lay there unmoving, blood seeping out of his broken nose. Instinctively, her training kicked in and Sam turned around to kick the gun out of Monroe's loosened grip. Brushing her hands off on her pajama pants, Sam then turned around to face the three men standing near the doorway to the room.

Daniel, Teal'c, and Jack stood there, completely still, each with their mouths gaping open in shock.

Sam smiled crookedly at her three favorite men in the whole world, amused at the expressions they wore on their faces. "Nice of you guys to come to my rescue," she teased. "But…as you can see, I think I handled it all right on my own."

Jack quickly closed his mouth and composed himself. He then propelled himself across the room and pulled Sam into his arms. He held her in a firm embrace for several moments, until he had convinced himself that she was truly all right. He kept one hand on her shoulder after releasing her from his grasp.

"Nice to see you haven't lost your touch, Mrs. O'Neill," he stated huskily, emotion filling his voice and pride emanating from his eyes.

"That's Colonel O'Neill to you, Mr. O'Neill," she replied with a twinkle in her eye.

They continued to stare at each other, as if they were the only two people in the room. Jack's hand moved from her shoulder to delicately trace the contours of her face. Sam leaned into his touch, seeking the comfort his gesture offered.

Daniel cleared his throat nervously, trying to get the attention of his two enamored friends. "Uh, guys…as much as I hate to interrupt…don't you think we better restrain this guy so we can take him back to the SGC for questioning?"

Jack reluctantly broke away from Sam and moved towards the unconscious agent, Teal'c following closely behind. Just as Teal'c took some plastic restraints out of his pocket and handed one pair to Jack, the body before them disappeared in a bright flash of light.

"Damn…" Jack exclaimed, "They did it again."

"He must have had a homing beacon on him so they could beam him up to their ship," Sam noted discouragingly.

Daniel looked at Sam and then Jack in dismay. "What do we do now? I mean…the whole point of this mission was to find out what they were up to. Our only possible source just vanished."

Jack sighed. "Well, we now know that their plans for Carter have been scrubbed. They also know we are onto them. Hopefully, they won't try anything else anytime soon."

"In the meantime, we can try to discover who the mole is at the SGC. If we can uncover who it is, maybe he or she will be able to tell us more," Sam added hopefully.

Teal'c nodded in agreement and suggested, "Perhaps the Trust has been deterred from carrying out any more plans against the SGC."

Jack stared at his friends solemnly. "We can always hope, T. But I have a feeling we haven't heard the last from the Trust."


	14. Day of Reckoning

**Chapter 13: Day of Reckoning**

* * *

_One month later_ _(During 'Full Alert')_

Jack rushed home from the grocery store, quietly humming along with the radio as he drove. He was determined to get the steaks on the grill before Sam got home. After all, the whole reason he had left the SGC a couple of hours early was to get everything in order to surprise her.

A couple of days before, he and SG-1 had returned from Harry Maybourne's planet and Jack wanted to do something nice to mark Sam's return to full active duty. The mission had been her first one off world as the rightful leader of SG-1 since being injured off world months before, and as it turned out it had also been his first trip off world in over a year. He had fully enjoyed once again going out on a mission with his old team, no matter how annoying Harry Maybourne could be.

And there was something more to celebrate - the mission had been an overwhelming success. With the aid of SG-1, the people of Maybourne's planet had been able to defeat the Goa'uld, the SGC had acquired a very nice piece of new technology in the form of a really cool Ancient time ship, and Jack noted that Sam had most definitely got her mojo back.

In the previous few weeks, she had constantly been doubting her decision-making skills and abilities. This last mission merely confirmed that she was an able and talented commander and Jack could sense her confidence slowly returning as the mission progressed.

Jack pulled his truck into his driveway and promptly got out and went to retrieve the provisions he had bought at the store. As he grabbed the cases of beer and the bag of groceries, he worried to himself that Sam probably wouldn't be all that impressed with the two cases of beer. Even though she often partook of the occasional beer herself, she certainly would think a couple of cases to be excessive.

Then he smiled as he thought 'but she will absolutely love the steaks and cheesecake I bought.' And he really had a good reason for the beer – it was his turn this week to bring the beer to his Friday night poker game with the guys. Surely the fact that he wasn't planning on drinking it all himself would be good enough to alleviate his wife's disapproval.

With both arms full, he jogged up his front steps and approached the front door. He abruptly stopped in his tracks when he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Carefully putting down the groceries, he reached behind his back and pulled out the handgun that was tucked safely in the waistband of his pants. He cautiously entered the house, aware that the intruder was probably still there...and was just waiting for him to arrive home.

As Jack crept slowly into his living room, he groaned in irritation as he discovered the identity of his intruder. It was none other than ex-Vice President Robert Kinsey – one his least favorite people in the entire universe. Not to mention, the man actually had the nerve to be drinking Jack's best bottle of Scotch.

Kinsey turned around and faced Jack with a shrug. "Bad news…you're out of Scotch." The politician then poured what was left of the bottle into the crystal tumbler he was holding in his hand.

Jack directed a look of annoyance in Kinsey's direction as the other man took a seat in the leather chair in the corner.

"Well, if I'd known you were coming, I'd have hidden the good stuff," Jack scoffed, a threatening tone to his voice.

It took several minutes for Kinsey to convince Jack to not call the police on him. They had then settled in for a long, yet somewhat acrimonious, conversation about the Trust. For the next thirty minutes, Kinsey told Jack about his recent contact with the Trust and what they had asked him to do.

Afterwards, to ensure the ex-politician's safety, Jack insisted that Kinsey stay at the SGC until a plan to deal with the Trust was worked out. Before the two men left for Cheyenne Mountain, Jack slipped into his bedroom to make a single call on his cell phone.

"Hey Sam…." he began after she answered the phone in her lab.

Sam could immediately tell something was the matter by the hesitant and slightly apologetic tone of his voice. "Jack…what's wrong?"

Jack sighed in frustration. "Don't bother coming over after you get off. Something's come up. I'm heading back to the SGC…and I'm bringing a guest."

"Who?"

"I don't want to talk about it over the phone. Just get Teal'c and Daniel and meet me in the briefing room in about an hour."

"Yes sir," Sam responded teasingly before hanging up.

"D'oh…!" Jack cursed as he stuffed his cell phone back in his pocket. "So much for a romantic evening for two."

An hour later, Jack arrived at the SGC with Kinsey in tow. Jack immediately headed up to the briefing room, while two SFs escorted Kinsey to a holding room to keep him safe and sound for the time being. Awaiting Jack patiently in the briefing room were Sam, Teal'c, and Daniel.

"Hey kids…sorry about keeping you all here this late," Jack announced as he strode into the room and took a seat at the head of the table. "I know some of you had plans for this evening," he added as he looked affectionately at Sam, silently conveying a sincere apology to her. "But...something's come up."

The three members of SG-1 looked at each other in curiosity, each wondering what could be so important as to drag Jack back to the SGC at this hour.

"What's going on, Jack?" Daniel asked.

Jack folded his hands in front of him as he related the whole story to them. "I went home early this afternoon only to find someone had broken into my house."

Sam looked up at him in surprise. "A burglar?" she inquired. "Did they take anything important, sir?"

"It wasn't a burglar, Carter. It was much worse…it was Kinsey."

Daniel looked perplexed. "What would Kinsey be doing at your house?"

Jack sighed and ran his hands roughly through his unkempt hair. "Well…it seems he was recently approached by his old friends at the Trust to do something for them."

"Did the Trust not sever all ties with Kinsey after he was forced to resign as Vice President?" Teal'c asked.

Jack nodded and replied, "Indeed they did."

Teal'c tilted his head in amusement at Jack choice of words before continuing his inquiry. "What then could the Trust possibly want from Kinsey?"

"Well, Teal'c…it seems that they asked him to set up a meeting with General Miraslov Kiselev."

Daniel's eyebrows shot up and he immediately jumped in and interrupted, "The Russian Defense Minister?"

"The one and the same."

Daniel looked at Jack, his brow furrowed in concern. "What do you think they're up to now?"

"Kinsey seems to think they're trying to turn the Russians against us."

Daniel huffed and brought up an obvious point. "Well, that would be a problem. Technically the Gate's only here on loan. If the Russians decide they want it back, things could get sticky."

"Is it possible Kinsey is simply lying?" Teal'c posed.

Jack tapped his fingers restlessly on the briefing room table. "That is always possible."

Sam, who had just been listening to the exchange taking place, finally spoke to offer up another question. "Has he asked for anything in return for the information?"

"Protection," Jack answered simply.

"Makes sense - if he doesn't co-operate, the Trust will kill him," Daniel pointed out.

"Maybe he should cooperate," Sam suggested. "This could be our chance to get somebody on the inside - infiltrate the organization."

"Jack…" Daniel began, "You did say that there was something a little odd about Jennings the last couple of times you met with him. That he had changed somehow."

Jack nodded. "Kinsey also noted that there seems to have been a change in attitude in the organization. He thinks the Trust is now going forward with their plans in a more overtly aggressive manner."

Sam stared at Jack, a worried look on her face. "Do you think there's a connection between the two factors?"

"Could be the Trust is under new management," Jack surmised. "That might explain why Jennings' attitude has been different in the past couple of months."

The people around the table were silent, each deep in thought.

Daniel then broke the silence. "Well, if we want to find out what's been going on with the Trust…like Sam said, we sure could use someone like Kinsey on the inside."

"The question is…can we trust Kinsey?" Sam asked tentatively.

"It appears we may have to," Teal'c concluded.

* * *

Their objective to get Kinsey on the inside with the Trust failed miserably. Kinsey had vanished, the members of the Trust were gone, and there was still no way to know what they were up to. It seemed that the Trust had once again just slipped through SG-1's fingers. As Sam had noted, it was getting to be a habit. The only thing the SGC could do now was to look for the Alkesh the Trust was using and hope they found it in time. 

Teal'c was already aboard the Prometheus and the crew was busily scanning for the Alkesh using a new detection program that Sam had developed in record time. Daniel would be arriving in Moscow at any minute to see what the Russians were up to, and Jack and Sam were currently holding down the fort at the SGC.

The United States government was at Defcon 3 and it looked as though tensions between Russia and the U.S. would only continue to escalate.

A few hours later came the dreaded news: Russia was targeting the U.S. because they believed the American government had been infiltrated by the Goa'uld. And the Russians had practically irrefutable proof - ex-Vice President Robert Kinsey had earlier that very week tried to assassinate the Russian Defense Minister, General Kiselev. And worse still…Kinsey was a Goa'uld.

Once this bit of information was revealed, Jack met with Colonel Chekov and Sam in the command center that had been set up at the SGC. During the meeting, Carter hypothesized that the Trust agents that had earlier tried to steal the Stargate had most likely been captured by the Goa'uld and implanted after journeying deep into Goa'uld territory.

After the Trust's mission to steal the Stargate and launch symbiote poison on Goa'uld occupied worlds failed, the agents had ventured outside of the solar system to launch a couple of more direct attacks from their Alkesh. Soon after these two attacks, Sam surmised, they had probably been captured and implanted by the Goa'uld. The now-infested Trust agents had then come back to Earth to most likely begin implanting the members of the Trust with symbiotes. In implanting Kinsey, their ultimate goal had probably been to infiltrate the higher echelon of the Russian military and government.

After their talk with Chekov, Sam and Jack made their way to her lab to talk in private. As they both sat down on either side of her lab table, Sam looked at Jack, worry etched on face.

"You know what this means, Jack?"

Jack nodded sternly. "That the Trust is now controlled by the Goa'uld and have been for months…that their plan in Florida was to get me to lure you down there so they could implant you with a symbiote…and that they wanted you to come back to the SGC afterwards to act as their spy."

There was a grave pause before he continued, "Not to mention that from there, they could have practically taken over the entire SGC. If they had succeeded, it would also have been undeniable proof to the Russians that the SGC had been compromised. But…. why you? Surely, they could have gotten to someone else more accessible and less visible…someone lower down the food chain?"

Sam thought to herself and soon came up with a probable answer. "They probably wanted to implant me first because I can sense the presence of naquada. If their ultimate goal was to take over the SGC, they would have had to start with me or they would have quickly been found out," Sam hypothesized. "There's one thing that's bothering me though."

"What's that?" Jack asked.

Sam's brow furrowed as she explained, "Agent Monroe… He came into our hotel room in Florida. He grabbed me…he was as close to me as another person could get. And yet, I never sensed the presence of a symbiote. If the Trust had already been infiltrated by the Goa'uld, wouldn't he have already been implanted?"

"Not necessarily," Jack countered. "Maybe he didn't know that he was working for a bunch of snakeheads…or maybe he didn't care. Those guys that work for the Trust are not known for their shining sense of morality. He could've been willing to go along with the plan for the right price."

Sam shook her head vigorously. "I don't think so, Jack. The Trust may use immoral methods, but their goal has always been to protect Earth from the Goa'uld." She paused and then added, "Monroe had to have known what Jennings had in store for me. He must have known that a similar fate awaited him… even if they were paying him well."

Jack tilted his head in curiosity. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Jack…" she started hesitantly, almost afraid of the very thoughts she was contemplating. "What if he did have a symbiote? What if I just couldn't sense it?"

"Is that even possible?" Jack looked at her skeptically.

"Remember…over a year ago, when we went to Kelowna to help out Jonas and his people?"

Jack groaned at the memory. "Do I remember…? How could I forget? I was stuck here dealing with the negotiations. I cannot express how glad I am that we haven't heard anything from those Langarans since then. They gave me a huge headache."

Sam laughed softly and shook her head at Jack's response. "Anyways…Jonas was working with another scientist named Kyanna."

"Yeah…she turned out to be a Goa'uld, right?"

"Yes," Sam acknowledged. "She was one of Ba'al's agents. The point is…she was using a drug to mask the presence of her symbiote. I couldn't sense that she was a Goa'uld. Later, I took a sample of the drug back to the SGC for testing. The medical staff conducted tests on it and we've had a sample of it in the labs here ever since."

"You think Monroe was using this drug?" Jack inquired.

"It could be," she admitted, before staring out into space, deep in thought. "But how did he get the drug? It was developed by Ba'al's scientists. And Daniel told me earlier that he doesn't think Ba'al is behind all of this…something about him being too busy trying to conquer all of the other System Lords. The other major Goa'uld, at least as far as we know, don't have access to the drug. And Ba'al certainly wouldn't share it with another Goa'uld."

"No, he wouldn't," Jack admitted. "So how did the Trust get it? From Area 51?"

Sam shook her head slightly. "No…we never sent a sample there. Since the original sample was so small, it remained at the SGC for study and has remained here ever since."

Jack stared at Sam, a determined look in his eyes. "I'm willing to bet that whoever last handled the drug sample is our mole. What do you think, Carter?"

"That would be a very good possibility," she answered.

"So…we need to find out who has access to the sample and if any is missing."

Sam nodded firmly. "I'm already on it, sir."

* * *

Fortunately, the situation between Russia and the United States ended with a whimper instead of a bang. After faxing the evidence that the SGC had collected to him, the Russian president had been convinced that General Kiselev was indeed a Goa'uld who had been trying to get the two superpowers to blow each other to hell. President Mikhailov had called back the fighter planes and ordered his people to close the doors of the nuclear missile silos. Russia had backed down and mutually assured destruction had been averted. 

The debriefing at the SGC the next day yielded a wealth of information. Daniel and Teal'c reviewed what had happened aboard the Prometheus. The Trust's Alkesh had been completely destroyed, apparently with the key members of the Trust and Kinsey aboard. The Trust would clearly not be a threat in the near future.

Colonel Chekov, after getting in contact with President Mikhailov, reported on what was going on in his home country. General Kiselev and his closest advisors and supporters had been restrained and locked up for questioning. As they had feared, the Russian general was a Goa'uld. His ultimate plan had been to set off a nuclear war between Russia and the United States and then to beam up to the Alkesh before all hell broke loose.

Unfortunately for him, the Trust's Alkesh had been destroyed before he even had the chance to escape. Chekov hoped that his government would be able to find out more after interrogating the Goa'uld in Kiselev. The Russians were also going through the process of screening all those men and women who had been loyal to Kiselev over the years, in case any others had been implanted with Goa'uld. It would be a long process, but it would hopefully weed out all of the remaining Goa'uld in the Russian government and military.

It was also clear to all in the room that elements of the Trust might still be on Earth – many of which might be Goa'uld. It would take a little more legwork to round up the remaining members of the organization, but with the leaders of the organization now presumed dead, the Trust would hopefully no longer be a major threat to the SGC or the world.

After the debriefing was over, Jack and Sam were left alone in the briefing room. They sat beside each other, matching smiles of relief on their faces. It appeared that their hard work had finally paid off. Operation Bellerophon was now finally over. At least for the most part…

There was still the matter of the Trust mole who was most likely still operating within the walls of the SGC.


	15. The Mole

**Chapter 14: The Mole**

* * *

Jack placed his elbows on the briefing room table and propped his head up in his hands. He was not looking forward to this next conversation, but knew it had to be addressed. One of his people at the SGC was a spy…possibly even a Goa'uld. And they needed to deal with him or her before any more damage was done.

He looked warily at Sam, knowing from her expression that her investigation had been successful. She knew who the mole was. "Carter…any progress on who our mole might be?"

Sam fidgeted slightly beside him and her countenance darkened as she informed him, "Yes sir. The last person to handle the drug sample in the medical labs was Doctor Brightman. She checked it out a couple of weeks after the Gate was stolen by the Trust… just before I was injured in the earthquake off world."

At this news, Jack buried his face in his hands in disillusionment. This was not the news he had been hoping for. It looked as though the doctor he had come to respect and trust in the past year - the woman who had saved his wife's life - was the very evil they had been trying to unearth. She had been hiding right under their noses all along. He spread the fingers covering his face and peeked out at Sam from between them.

"So…Brightman is our mole?" he mumbled through his fanned-out fingers. He then rubbed his hands roughly over his face and groaned, both exhausted and troubled at this news.

Sam did not answer, but merely nodded silently. From the look in her eyes, Jack knew that Sam was just as devastated as he was at this information. Sam and Brightman had become close friends over the past few months, especially after Brightman had taken such good care of her after her injuried, and the fact that Brightman had been a member of the Trust was the worst form of betrayal imaginable.

After meeting with Sam, Jack had ordered a group of SFs to restrain Doctor Brightman and escort her to a holding cell. A few minutes later, Sam, Jack, and Daniel gathered in the observation room overlooking the holding cell to watch Teal'c conduct the interrogation.

At first, Brightman sat in the middle of the room behind a large table, appearing small…almost fragile. She continued to cling to her innocence, refusing to cooperate or even acknowledge that she had been working with the Trust at all. But Teal'c was a master at interrogation. If Brightman was a member of the Trust, and especially if she had been implanted with a Goa'uld, he would be able to get her to expose herself sooner or later.

After a couple of hours of ceaseless questioning, and continuing denials from the prisoner, Teal'c finally had some success when he directed a particularly pointed insult in Brightman's direction.

"Your comrades within the Trust are dead," he sneered derisively. "Your cause has been defeated. You have failed. Your lord will be most disappointed in your incompetence."

Unable to control her rage and infuriation any longer, the doctor finally lost her cool and her eyes flashed gold. "We may have failed this time, Shol'va, but we will not fail again. You and your pathetic friends, the Tauri, will fall."

"Whom do you serve?" Teal'c demanded, pleased that he was finally making some progress. They now had proof that the doctor was indeed a Goa'uld.

"Do you think I would actually tell you anything, Shol'va?" she replied with scorn.

"It would serve you well to cooperate," Teal'c advised. "Your master will not save you, your allies are dead."

The doctor once again maintained her stony silence and refused to divulge any more, while the observers continued to patiently watch from the room above.

A few minutes later, after failing to make any more progress, Teal'c left her alone in the room. As planned, it was Daniel's turn to interrogate the prisoner…this time with a gentler hand. It was an old but extremely effective technique. Teal'c had been given the role of 'bad cop.' Daniel, in turn, would play the 'good cop.' They hoped that this time-honored interrogation method would work.

Daniel entered the room quietly and placed a glass of water on the table near Brightman's bound hands. The Goa'uld did not thank him, but merely glared at him contemptuously.

Daniel sat down across from her and stared at her compassionately. "You know… you're not getting out of here alive," Daniel began softly, trying to appear sympathetic. "Perhaps if you were more willing to cooperate, we could work something out."

Surprisingly, this seemed to spark the Goa'uld's interest. "How so?" she asked.

Daniel smirked as the snake jumped at the bait he offered. "Perhaps we could arrange for you to go free…we could let you go through the Stargate. That is…if you provide us with enough information."

"Why should I trust you?" the Goa'uld muttered accusingly. She then stared pointedly up at the observation room, making direct eye contact with the man sitting there. The question, it seemed, was not so much intended for Daniel, but more so for General O'Neill.

Daniel shrugged noncommittally. "Well now…you don't have much of a choice, do you?" he reasoned. "You can talk…or we can turn you over to the NID where you will probably become part of a scientific experiment. They will probably keep you locked up in one of their facilities for decades…if not centuries."

The Goa'uld, knowing now that she had little choice, bowed her head in acquiescence. She knew she stood a better chance with the people of the SGC than with the NID. She was more than familiar with what happened to prisoners that fell into the NID's hands.

"What do you wish to know?" she asked cautiously.

Daniel turned to look up at his friends in the observation room, a slight smile of triumph on his face.

"Doctor Brightman…" he began, "how did she come to be your host?"

"This host was a member of the organization you call the Trust. She was strategically placed at the SGC to provide vital intelligence to the members of that organization. She had access to medical records, drugs, research, and even direct contact with SG field team members."

"When did she become your host?"

The Goa'uld shook her head slightly, continuing to glare at Daniel in anger. She was reluctant to divulge the information, but knew she had little choice. It was not so much giving up the information that bothered her. It had more to do with being in a position of powerlessness.

"I do not know precisely…" she answered his question. "It was a few months ago, after members of the Trust returned to Earth. They brought many symbiotes with them and began the process of implanting symbiotes in most of the members of the Trust. I was one of the symbiotes they brought with them."

Daniel nodded then stared at the woman before him pointedly. "If you have been a Goa'uld all of this time, how did you manage to remain at the SGC undetected?"

The Goa'uld again seemed reluctant to answer this question. She turned her face away from Daniel and refused to meet his gaze. This time, she appeared to have no intention of revealing her secret.

Daniel, in turn, played his part perfectly. Once it was clear that she was not going to cooperate, he rose and turned as if to leave the room and announced, "Well, thanks anyway. Say 'hi' to the guys at the NID for me…"

Brightman looked panicked for a mere second before calling out to him, her voice almost pleading, "Stop….I will answer. I obtained a sample of a drug stored at the SGC that masked the naquada in my blood. My comrades were able to reproduce the drug in small quantities."

Daniel, still facing the door, smiled slyly and slowly turned around to look at the prisoner. He walked back over to the bound woman and leaned over, placing both of his hands on the table in front of her. His face was mere inches from hers, his posture almost threatening. "So…Colonel Carter could not tell that you were a Goa'uld?"

"Precisely."

Daniel then sat down once more and continued his questioning. "Okay…what was your mission here at the SGC?"

After this little altercation, it seemed the Goa'uld inside the doctor was now fully willing to cooperate. Her host, having been a member of the Trust, was fully aware of what the NID was capable of, and thus so was the symbiote. It was amazing to Daniel that the fear of confinement and experimentation was enough to scare this creature into submission. But then again, the Goa'uld were known for their arrogance…not their bravery.

The woman then began to describe her mission at the SGC, "I was instructed to begin implanting symbiotes…first in the medical staff and then in the field team members. Eventually, the entire SGC would have been controlled by the Goa'uld."

"Did you implant any members of the staff with symbiotes?" Daniel asked apprehensively, realizing for the first time that there might be Goa'ulds still freely running around the base.

The Goa'uld frowned, anger seething beneath the surface of her placid demeanor. "No… our plans were delayed."

"Why?" Daniel asked in curiosity.

"There was not enough of the drug to supply the entire base for an extended period of time. There was just enough for me and maybe one other. Before we could begin implanting members of the staff, we first needed to implant the one person who would be able to detect us."

Daniel tried to maintain his composure through this whole ordeal, and for the most part he has succeeded. But with this revelation, he finally let his mask slip. He glared defiantly at the woman in front of him as he whispered, "Sam…"

The woman did not answer vocally, but merely smiled malevolently as she nodded her head in confirmation. Sam had been their first target.

As the interrogation continued, another conversation was taking place in the observation room.

Sam turned to Jack, a disconsolate look on her face. Their suspicions had just been confirmed – the whole Trust setup in Florida was designed to get a symbiote into her. Jack, unnoticeable to anyone else in the room, took her hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze, telling her without words that everything was all right and that she was safe now.

"So the goal was to implant me first because I can sense the Goa'uld…then the medical staff because they do all of the CAT scans and MRI's for the SG teams," Sam reasoned, her voice almost inaudible. "The nurses and doctors could cover up any evidence of infiltration by altering the records."

"What about Teal'c?" Jack asked in confusion. "He can sense a Goa'uld…"

Teal'c looked at Jack, his eyebrow raised inquisitively. "I cannot, O'Neill. I have not been able to do so since I lost my symbiote and began taking tretonin."

Jack let out a large sigh of frustration, "I swear I am not getting all of my memos."

Grinning slightly at Jack's joke, the three people then turned their attention back to the holding room below.

Daniel was once again addressing the Goa'uld. "So…the whole plan with Shanahan taking Sam to Florida…it was just a way to get her away from the base so she could be implanted away from prying eyes?" he asked.

"Yes…but when the plan failed, we had to seek other methods to achieve our goals."

"Hence the whole plan with Kinsey," Daniel surmised. "By implanting him, you made it look as if the U.S. government was compromised. The original plan, I presume, was to get your people at the SGC and in the Russian military to create a nuclear war that would destroy the Earth."

The Goa'uld laughed derisively, amused by the assumption Daniel had made. "Not exactly, Doctor Jackson. If we had been successful in our plans for the SGC, the Earth would have been much more valuable to us intact. We would have used the American and Russian militaries to take over your world. From there, we would have been able to deal crushing blows to the rebel Jaffa and the Tok'ra."

"Why did your plans change?" Daniel inquired curiously.

She immediately answered, "Once my superiors discovered that SG-1 knew of some of their plans to infiltrate the SGC, they abandoned their original strategy."

"So, Kinsey and the nuclear destruction of Earth was Plan B?" Daniel noted.

"Yes. It was decided that Earth was too much of a threat. If we could not control it, it was deemed best to destroy it."

In total, the interrogation had lasted over ten hours. Much of that time had been spent in silence as Teal'c and Daniel slowly and painstakingly extracted information from the Goa'uld. In the end, they had their answers. And the Goa'uld merely waited for the SGC to uphold its end of the bargain by letting her go through the Stargate.

But not everyone had the answers they needed. That night, as most of the base slept, Sam went to confront the Goa'uld for herself. Something had been bothering her all day since the interrogation…something she needed to know for her own peace of mind.

She crept quietly into the holding room, practically undetected. The Goa'uld was lying on a makeshift cot at the back of the cell, pretending to sleep. As Sam approached, the prisoner looked up, sensing the naquada in Sam's blood.

The Goa'uld stared at Sam questioningly, waiting for her to make some kind of move. Sam merely stared back at the woman, dumbfounded, and after a few silent seconds quietly announced, "There's one thing I don't understand…you needed to get me out of the way so you could start implanting personnel with symbiotes. You could have killed me any number of times and left no traces. You could have let me die after I was buried in the earthquake. You could have killed me in the infirmary and made it look as if I had died of natural causes. No one had better resources or opportunity to do so than you. Why in the world did you keep me alive? Why did you save me?"

The prisoner grinned smugly, almost as if proud that her actions had caused Sam some distress.

"You were considered too valuable," the entity inside Brightman answered in deep, distorted voice. "Not only did the Trust want your mind at their disposal, they also knew that your knowledge about the SGC – especially about its operations and history - would be most helpful. They deemed you indispensable. And so…I was ordered to make sure that you survived."

"Do you expect me to be grateful…" Sam asked contemptuously, "that you saved my life?"

The woman stared at Sam condescendingly, as if Sam's life and existence were inconsequential to her, which they were. "I expect no such thing, Colonel Carter. I was merely doing my duty to my lord." The Goa'uld then smiled maliciously, "In fact, I would have been most pleased to watch you die."

No more words were spoken between the two women. Sam rose from her chair and abruptly left the room, never turning back to look again on the prisoner…the woman she had once considered a good friend. She no longer felt anything whatsoever for the being infesting the woman who had betrayed them all. There was no longer any need to feel guilt or pity for the being who had saved her life…for it had not been done out of compassion, but out of a desire to exploit and manipulate her knowledge and talent.

Early the next morning, a group of SFs escorted the prisoner to the Gate room to send her on her way. Awaiting her there to see her off were SG-1 and General O'Neill. The Goa'uld immediately knew something was wrong when she noticed how SG-1 was attired. They were geared up as if they were going on a mission.

Upon her entering the room, Teal'c grasped the Goa'uld's arm and propelled her forward towards the ramp. Sam and Daniel followed behind, both with weapons at the ready in case the prisoner made any moves to escape. A few seconds later, the wormhole flared into life.

As they walked towards the activated Gate, the Goa'uld asked agitatedly, "Where are you taking me? I thought you were going to let me go..."

From the bottom of the ramp, Jack called out to answer her question, "You're going to the Tok'ra for a little visit. Hopefully they will be able to remove your snaky ass from the doc and return her to Earth for prosecution."

The Goa'uld began to struggle in Teal'c grasp. He allowed her to turn around to face the General, but maintained a strong grip on her bound arm. "But…you promised to let me go through the Stargate."

Jack eyebrows rose in amusement, as he smirked deviously and admitted, "Yes, I did…and you are. I didn't say that you could pick the address. And I don't recall mentioning that we would let you just go free and allow you take Brightman with you. You see...although I have nothing against letting you go, your host was a member of an illegal organization and has violated several federal laws here on Earth. I would be aiding and abetting a criminal if I helped you to escape with her."

Upon hearing this, the prisoner's eyes flashed in fury. She began struggling more and more against Teal'c strong grasp, trying to do something, anything, to avert what was in store for her. But it was to no avail.

"Take her away, SG-1," Jack ordered. "Don't want to keep the Tok'ra waiting."

And with that, Teal'c pushed the figure of Doctor Brightman into the open wormhole and followed closely behind.

Just before stepping into the event horizon, Sam turned slowly back around to provide a farewell smile and nod to her husband.

Upon seeing this, Jack nodded back and called out to her, "Good luck, Colonel. And say 'hi' to Dad for me."

Sam's responding smile lit up the Gate room. "Yes, sir. See you when we get back." And then she stepped into the Gate and disappeared in a wash of blue light.

TBC


	16. Happy Endings

**Chapter 15: Happy Endings**

* * *

_A couple of weeks later_

The night air was warm and comforting, as a refreshingly cool breeze filtered across the mountaintops of Castlewood Canyon State Park. The amphitheater glowed with the golden light of what seemed like hundreds of lanterns hanging in the trees, providing a stark contrast to the dark chasm of the canyon floor below.

The rumble of conversation and jovial laughter echoed through the air. Guests filled the round tables dispersed on the edges of a large dance floor. They all seemed to be having an enjoyable time if the cheerful atmosphere was any indication.

The ceremony had been lovely. In the glow of a red-orange sunset peeking over the distant outline of Pike's Peak, Jack and Sam had renewed their vows with their closest friends and family in attendance. Daniel and Teal'c had served as Jack's best men, Cassie had stood by Sam's side as her maid of honor, and the best surprise was that Jacob had arrived earlier that week and was there to give Sam away.

After the ceremony, everyone had gathered around a nearby dance floor surrounded by several round tables lit only by colorful paper lanterns hanging in the tree branches above and the natural light of the moon and the myriad stars that shone brightly in the night sky. With the stars above, unhindered by the light pollution of the city, little other decoration was necessary for the celebration. In one corner of the dance floor, a string quartet played one melodious love song after another as the guests enjoyed their evening meals.

Suddenly, the tinkling sound of a knife clinking on a crystal goblet broke through the blanketing noise of chatter. The guests' voices died down and all turned their attention to the main table set up on the other side of the dance floor in front of them.

Doctor Daniel Jackson put down his knife and smiled awkwardly at the guests whom were now all staring at him intently, patiently waiting for him to speak. Daniel, dressed resplendently in a dark suit embellished with a large yellow rose in the lapel, stood slowly and addressed the crowd.

He cleared his throat before beginning. "Honored guests… When I first met Jack O'Neill over nine years ago, he was not the man you see before you today. Without going into too much detail, the light in his eyes had very tragically been extinguished."

Daniel glanced at the man sitting beside him. He noticed a shadow of grief pass over Jack's face, as his friend seemed to recall that darker time in his past. Quietly, a small smile alighted on his face as the woman sitting next to him took his hand in her own. At this action, Daniel smiled and continued his speech.

"Year after year since that day, I have watched as Jack slowly came back from the void with renewed purpose in his life. More importantly, I happily witnessed as, day by day, the light in his eyes gradually returned. The source of that light, I believe, was and is his growing love and devotion to Sam."

Daniel once again turned to look at the two friends sitting next to him as they smiled at his words.

"And what can I say about Sam? She is my best friend…the sister I never had. She has a way of brightening the lives of all those around her. Her infectious enthusiasm and her undying faith in the basic goodness of people are the qualities that make it very easy to be her friend. I believe it was these qualities that Jack was first attracted to. The question is, and I quote an old friend here, what could she possibly see in a loser like Jack?"

Jack's head popped up and he immediately shot Daniel an irritated glare. He almost looked as though he were getting ready to strangle his best man when the crowd erupted into bellowing laughter. Daniel returned Jack's glare with a sheepish grin of his own before he continued.

"True...Jack can be gruff and sarcastic…impatient and cantankerous. But he is also one of the most loyal and decent men I have ever known. He always stands up for what he believes is right and I cannot even find words to describe his strength of character. In fact, I don't think you could ever find two people with more integrity than Sam and Jack. That fact, along with their unyielding ability to love one another with their entire being makes them perfect for one another. Sam and Jack have loved each another for a very long time. I'm just happy that they can finally be together and that I am actually around to see it."

Sighs of delight and happiness emanated from the crowd of guests. Daniel once again glanced at Sam and Jack, only to find them looking into each other's eyes, each completely absorbed in the other.

"I thought it only fitting that I end my speech with some words of advice for my two best friends. And being an archaeologist, of course, the words I have chosen come from an Ancient Egyptian poem dating from the 11th Century B.C.:

So, seize the day! hold holiday!  
Be unwearied, unceasing, alive,  
you and your own true love;  
Let not your heart be troubled during your sojourn on earth,  
but seize the day as it passes!

Put incense and sweet oil upon you,  
garlanded flowers at your breast,  
While the lady alive in your heart forever  
delights, as she sits beside you.

Grieve not your heart, whatever comes;  
let sweet music play before you;  
Recall not the evil, loathsome to God,  
but have joy, joy, joy, and pleasure!

O upright man, man just and true,  
patient and kind, content with your lot,  
rejoicing, not speaking evil --  
Let your heart be drunk on the gift of Day  
until that day comes when you anchor. "

"Ladies and gentleman…please raise your glasses to Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill."

The crowd readily compiled with Daniel's request and raised their glasses to toast the happy couple.

Daniel's smile widened as he addressed his friends, "Now…Jack and Sam if you will do us all the honor of gracing us with your first dance as husband and wife."

Jack rose and offered his hand to Sam who gladly followed. As he escorted his wife to the dance floor, the first strains of 'Il mio bel foco' soared from the string quartet. Ever since that night, the night when they first went out to dinner as a couple, the song had come to mean so much to them. They danced alone, under a canopy of stars, as those attending looked on the joyous couple with satisfaction.

After the song ended, Jack handed his wife off to her father who was waiting patiently by the side of the dance floor. Jacob, who had arrived earlier in the week only to find his daughter and Jack already married, was pleased that he did not miss out on this event. Ever since she had been a little girl, he had imagined this moment…dancing with his daughter at her wedding. As he took Sam into his arms and led her out to the center of the floor, he marveled that this moment was even better than he had ever imagined it would be.

"I just wanted to say, kiddo, that I am so glad that you have found the happiness you have been seeking," he whispered to Sam. "It will make it a little easier for me while I'm out there in the galaxy, so far away from you, to know that you are not going to be alone anymore…that you are going to be with someone you love from now on."

Sam looked at her father, slightly surprised at his words. "I thought you wouldn't approve…I mean about me and Jack."

Jacob shook his head slightly and then honestly replied, "Sam…there are things about Jack that do bother me - he has a lot of emotional baggage, he's too old for you, and he used to be your commanding officer. But all of those things are minor compared to positive things about him. I know he would never intentionally hurt you. More importantly, I know he has the greatest trust and respect for you. You know, you just can't ask for any more than that for your only daughter."

"You know what's even better, Dad?"

"What, sweetheart?"

"He loves me…completely and unconditionally. And I feel the same way about him."

Jacob leaned towards her and kissed her cheek. "Then you've got everything you could ever want or need."

Sam rested her head on her father's shoulder as they continued dancing around the floor. As they swirled around in time to the music, she suddenly caught sight of something strange out of the corner of her eye. At the edge of the dance floor, she spotted Jack talking animatedly to a rather young and attractive woman. Sam was shocked with her reaction to the sight of her husband amiably chatting and laughing with another woman.

She felt irrational tendrils of jealousy building up in the pit of her stomach and quashed them quickly, embarrassed for feeling that way. She concentrated once again on her father's face, determined not to let jealousy spoil the lovely evening she was having.

Soon after, the song ended and Sam was surprised when she turned around to find her husband once again at her side. Jack held out his arms, silently asking her for the next dance. Sam went without question or hesitation into his awaiting arms.

"Who was that woman you were talking to?" Sam murmured, trying to seem nonchalant as Jack tightened his arms around her.

The music then began and they started to sway in time to the music. When it appeared as if Jack was avoiding the question, Sam prodded him in the shoulder with one finger and then stared sharply up into his eyes.

"Who?" he asked, clearly unaware of what she was talking about.

"That woman…you know, young, brunette, very attractive." Sam nodded in the direction of woman.

Jack smiled deviously, suddenly realizing the reason behind his wife's question. Although she was doing a pretty good job of disguising it, he knew instinctively that she was jealous of the attention paid to him by the other woman.

"Oh…her. That's Kerry Johnson," he answered casually. "She's the CIA agent that's going to tie up the loose ends on Operation Bellerophon. She's been assigned the task of interrogating Doc Brightman and hunting down the remaining members of the Trust here on Earth."

"Oh…" Sam sighed in relief, now embarrassed that she had ever been jealous.

But Jack, who was secretly pleased that he had elicited that emotion from Sam, wanted to continue this little game. "You know…she asked me out when we first met…" he noted.

"Who?" Sam, attempting not to rise to the bait, tried to remain calm and indifferent.

"Agent Johnson."

"Really?"

"It was quite flattering actually…to have such a young and attractive woman take an interest in me like that."

"I'm sure it was," Sam stated, a hint of resentment rising in her voice. "What did you tell her?"

At this, a wide grin broke out upon Jack's face. "I said, and I'm quoting here…'I'm sorry, Agent Johnson, but I am very happily married to the most beautiful and brilliant officer in the U.S. Air Force.'"

"You didn't…?" Sam chided in disbelief, her cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink, both embarrassed and secretly elated at her husband's compliments.

"I certainly did," Jack responded. He paused for a second in thought. "What I didn't tell her was that she doesn't hold a candle to you."

The blush on Sam's cheeks deepened as she drew closer to the man holding her in his arms and rested her head tenderly on his shoulder.

"Hey… aren't you going to return the compliment, Mrs. O'Neill?"

"You know I would, Jack. But somehow I just don't think your ego needs to be puffed up anymore right now. But I would be happy to oblige later on this evening."

Sam shot him a cheeky grin. He responded with a sexy smirk of his own, "I'm looking forward to it, Mrs. O'Neill."

The celebration continued for a few more hours. There was more dancing and laughing. And then it was time for the evening to come to and end. The remaining guests gathered to see the bride and groom off. In a shower of birdseed, Sam and Jack quickly got into their awaiting limo and drove off into the darkness.

As the car made its way to their rented honeymoon cabin, Jack noticed that Sam was staring out the window contemplatively.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked.

Sam turned to face him and smiled at him tenderly. "Just about all we have gone through in the past year and a half. There I was, finally trying to move on with someone new, trying to deny my feelings for you…and then it all fell apart. And you were there to pick up all of the pieces."

Jack reached out his hand to gently caress her pale cheek. "Fate has a funny way of working things out in the end."

"Do you believe in fate, Jack?"

"Of course. It brought you into my life."

"And you into mine." Sam placed her own hand softly over the one Jack still held to her cheek.

Sam sighed and leaned into Jack's comforting body as he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's going to a whole new adventure for us," Sam noted quietly. "No more pretending, no more hiding what we feel. We can finally be together openly for the first time. You know what?"

"What?" Jack asked as he placed a single kiss on her forehead.

"It feels really wonderful," Sam confessed with a wistful smile.

Jack's arms tightened around her as he leaned down to kiss her lips. "As usual, Colonel…I agree with your assessment wholeheartedly."

The End


End file.
